Seoul’s announcement on the mines will likely trigger a furious response from Pyongyang, which has denied a slew of previous provocations that South Korea has blamed on North Korea. Their injuries were not life-threatening, but one soldier lost both legs, one below the knee and one above the knee, and the other had a foot amputated, according to South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense. The explosions that happened last week wounded two soldiers on a routine patrol.
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An article quoting North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong accuses South Korea of being involved in a “vicious cycle of aggravating situation [sic]” and quotes Ri as demanding an end to “large scale joint military exercises are being conducted against the DPRK several times a year in south Korea and its vicinity”.
The last direct attack on the South was in December 2010 when North Korea shelled the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong, killing two civilians and two soldiers and triggering brief fears of a full scale conflict.
He added the South Korean army would respond “immediately” if Pyongyang opened fire on the loudspeakers.
A day earlier Seoul had been joined by the United Nations Command in accusing the North of breaking their ceasefire by laying fresh landmines almost 500 meters into South Korean territory.
South Korea initially said there was no indication of North Korean involvement.
“North Korea should be aware that the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the worldwide community have serious concern about this act of provocation”, the resolution said, demanding Pyongyang punish those responsible for the attack.
About 2,000 South Korean and U.S. troops from 47 military units will join the drills, which will feature South Korea’s newly deployed high-tech weaponry like K-2 tanks, K-21 armored vehicles, Surion choppers and FA-50 Fighting Eagle combat jets, as well as a multi-launch rocket system.
It also said its investigation had found that the devices had been planted recently and deliberately.
Some analysts suggested it was a pre-emptive attempt to raise tensions before a major South Korea-US military exercise scheduled to begin next week. The drills are designed to ensure readiness for a North Korean invasion.
The anti-North Korean broadcasts over loudspeakers aimed across the world’s most heavily armed border are sure to worsen already bad ties between the Koreas and infuriate the North, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of the authoritarian leadership of Kim Jong Un.
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The DMZ was created in 1953 as part of the Korean War armistice.
