Key facts
- Three South Korean military officers were injured in an explosion in the DMZ.
- The explosion occurred during a search operation south of the Military Demarcation Line.
- The incident is suspected to be a landmine explosion.
- Two injured officers were transported by helicopter to a hospital.
- Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion.
Three South Korean military officers were injured on Monday in an explosion during a search operation in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. The explosion occurred south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the western sector of the DMZ earlier in the day. The military did not specify the exact cause, but the accident is suspected to be a landmine explosion. It remains unclear whether the landmine was planted by North Korean troops or the South Korean military. Two of the injured officers were transported by emergency helicopter to a hospital for treatment, and another injured officer will also be taken for a medical checkup. Authorities plan to investigate the cause of the explosion. The military is considering the possibility that an unidentified landmine detonated during a route clearance operation or that North Korean landmines, dislodged by recent heavy rains, may have exploded. Following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's declaration of inter-Korean ties as being between "two states hostile to each other" in late 2023, North Korea has been fortifying its border since April 2024 by reinforcing fences, planting mines, and erecting anti-tank barriers along the MDL. The JCS had previously noted terrain changes south of the DMZ and consulted with the United Nations Command (UNC) regarding potential North Korean landmine planting. This incident marks the first explosion within the DMZ since November 2025, when a South Korean soldier sustained an ankle fracture during a landmine detection mission. A previous landmine explosion caused by North Korea occurred in August 2015, when three wooden-box landmines exploded on the South Korean side of the DMZ, resulting in severe injuries to two staff sergeants.