South Korea says North Korean mines likely caused DMZ blasts

South Korea’s military said Monday that North Korean mines were highly likely to have caused two explosions in the Demilitarized Zone that injured three South Korean officers on September 21, while emphasizing that the assessment remains preliminary and the investigation is not complete. The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced the finding after South Korean and United Nations Command personnel examined routes near the suspected blast site. The roughly 40-person team reached the vicinity on September 27 but did not reach the exact location, the military said. It stopped because of the danger from unidentified mines and fatigue among personnel, with further inspections planned but no date specified. The blasts occurred near the Military Demarcation Line in the western DMZ as South Korean troops were establishing a patrol route. Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Kwon Daewon said blast marks and debris pointed to North Korean mines, and that there was no record of South Korean or allied forces laying mines in the area. The military also cited forensic findings from equipment belonging to the soldiers. Those details formed part of the preliminary assessment, not a final determination.