Testimony has emerged that an additional unexploded mine resembling a North Korean wooden-box mine was present at the site of a suspected mine blast that occurred in the Demilitarized Zone on the western front on the 21st, according to accounts of the investigation. If a joint investigation team can reach the suspected blast point and recover the device, it would provide a key clue in determining the cause of the accident. Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul signaled that Seoul would take "significant measures" if the blast is ultimately confirmed to have been caused by a North Korean mine.
According to military authorities on the 28th, statements made during the military's investigation indicated that, apart from the mines believed to have detonated twice, one unexploded mine was sighted near the site. An object appearing to be an additional explosive was identified after the accident between the two spots where a search battalion commander and one other soldier were thrown by the two explosions, but it did not detonate, and personnel at the scene withdrew after leaving only a marker, according to the accounts.
Statements also described the object found at the site as resembling a North Korean wooden-box mine. Physical evidence sufficient to identify the type of mine has not yet been secured, however. Testimony has also emerged that mine-detection equipment was in use at the time but that no mines or other explosives were detected at the point where the blasts occurred.
Within and outside the military, analysts say that when the various circumstances are taken together, the explosive that caused the accident was more likely a North Korean mine than a South Korean one. They note that the area is not a zone where South Korean forces laid M14 and M16 anti-personnel mines, and that the severity of the soldiers' injuries and the explosive power of South Korean and North Korean mines need to be examined together.
Conclusively determining the origin of the mine, however, hinges on securing physical evidence such as any unexploded mine that may remain at the site or fragments recovered from the wounded. If an unexploded mine is secured, analysis of its material, explosive composition and manufacturing method — not just its outward shape — could identify the type and origin of the device.
Even if it is confirmed to be a North Korean mine, further questions would remain: whether it drifted from its original location along nearby streams, or whether North Korean troops crossed the Military Demarcation Line and planted it deliberately. If it is confirmed that North Korean troops crossed the MDL and planted it intentionally, whether that constitutes a violation of the armistice agreement could become a point of contention.
Military authorities say they will respond firmly if the blast is confirmed to have been caused by a mine recently laid by North Korean forces. Meeting reporters at the National Assembly the same day, Kang said that if the cause of the DMZ explosion is confirmed to be a mine recently laid by North Korea, "a fitting and significant response and measures commensurate with that are necessary, and we will proceed accordingly."
With the cause of the accident and the type and origin of the mine all still undetermined, the military says it will establish the facts based on the results of the on-site investigation and forensic analysis.
As the joint investigation team begins its full on-site inquiry, political friction is intensifying not only over the cause of the accident but also over the delay in the investigation. The People Power Party has taken issue with why the on-site investigation was delayed and has formalized a push for a National Assembly hearing and a parliamentary investigation. The Democratic Party of Korea countered that political attacks should be restrained while the investigation into the cause is still under way.
The People Power Party also raised allegations that the military deliberately concealed its initial assessment of the origin of the explosive, which it suspected to be a North Korean mine. At a press conference the same day, Rep. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party said, "The initial military report clearly contained the phrase 'suspected North Korean wooden-box mine,' and we are told that it was deleted," adding that she would introduce a resolution calling for the facts to be established and those responsible to be held accountable. She also demanded the formation of a fact-finding team including experts recommended by both parties and an emergency joint hearing of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, the Intelligence Committee, and the National Defense Committee.
Na argued in particular, citing a fact sheet released by the United Nations Command on June 23, that the government failed to take appropriate steps despite being aware of prior warning signs. According to Na, the fact sheet stated that the UNC took suspected North Korean crossings of the MDL seriously and was working with South Korean operational commands to investigate whether North Korea had crossed the MDL and laid mines. The UNC subsequently conveyed to the South Korean government its view that an investigation was needed, according to the accounts.
The National Assembly's National Defense Committee will hold a plenary session on the 29th to question officials on issues related to the accident. Rep. Lim Jong-deuk of the People Power Party, the ranking member of the opposition party on the committee, said, "We will thoroughly verify when the report on the unexploded mine was made, and how the military is assessing the possibility of North Korean troops approaching and the possibility that this was a North Korean mine."
