(LEAD) DMZ explosion-inspection

▲ This photo, provided by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), shows a North Korean resin antipersonnel mine found during an inspection of the site of a recent mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone on Sept. 29, 2026. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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SEOUL, Sept. 29 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean military on Tuesday found one North Korean resin antipersonnel mine near the site of last week's mine explosions inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that left three South Korean service members injured, officials said.

The discovery came a day after the military said North Korean land mines were "highly likely" the cause of the Sept. 21 blast south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas. The incident left three South Korean soldiers injured, two of them with severe wounds.

The blast occurred during an operation to clear a path for a joint inspection between the South's military and the United Nations Command (UNC) to verify Seoul's suspicions that Pyongyang illegally buried land mines across the border in violation of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) said it found the North Korean mine earlier Tuesday during a joint inspection of the explosion site with the UNC. The joint inspection began Sunday.

The located mine is believed to be different from the one observed and described by soldiers who were at the scene of the blast, according to the JCS.

The JCS said Monday a total of three mines were believed to have been buried at the blast site, including the two that detonated, based on the soldiers' statements that they had spotted an unexploded land mine when they were retreating from the area.

Tuesday's finding possibly adds another land mine to the list.

Maj. Gen. Yang Jin-hyuk, director of the JCS operations, said a survey team identified the land mine about 1 meter behind the site of the second explosion.

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul acknowledged the findings during a plenary session of the National Assembly, saying there were "not three but one more" land mine at the site of the explosion.

Tuesday's inspection involved some 30 personnel, including those from the UNC's Military Armistice Commission, as well as some officers involved in last week's operation.

"Our military and the UNC will conduct additional examinations and explain the results of the final outcome to the people in an objective and transparent manner," the JCS said in a press notice.

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