N Korea-DMZ blast

▲ This file photo shows Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has rejected the South Korean military's announcement that a North Korean mine likely caused a recent blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that left three South Korean soldiers injured, state media reported Wednesday.

"What should not be overlooked is the fact that the armed gangsters of the ROK are now cooking up the groundless results and 'justifying their conduct' for political and military provocation against the DPRK, openly talking about 'reasonable and corresponding enforcement of measures,'" Kim Yo-jong said in a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.

DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, while ROK is the acronym for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

"If the ROK military gangsters fire at our soldiers carrying on the permanent project for the southern border, not warning shots, our border units will take immediate and merciless retaliate attack," she added.

After a joint inspection of the site with the United Nations Command (UNC) on Monday, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that North Korean land mines were "highly likely" the cause of the explosion on Sept. 21.

The JCS has vowed to take "corresponding" measures if the blast is confirmed to have been caused by North Korean mines.

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