2 explosions in DMZ lead to tense escape by South Korean troops

Two separate land mines exploded about 10 meters south of the inter-Korean border in the western Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), just as South Korean troops were about to withdraw after clearing a new search route. Three soldiers were knocked down by the first explosion, and the second explosion occurred as the battalion commander ran toward those who had been injured, investigations have revealed. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported in detail on the circumstances of the Sept. 21 incident during a briefing on the preliminary results of its investigation, held Monday at the defense ministry’s headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul. The investigation revealed that 18 people, including a reconnaissance unit from the 25th Infantry Division and an engineering unit under its jurisdiction, who had been deployed that day on a mission to clear a new path, were injured in explosions while preparing to withdraw after conducting the operation on foot. “The commander of the reconnaissance battalion, who had been conducting an operation to clear a new path, made a comprehensive assessment at the time to determine that the personnel were approaching the [Military Demarcation Line]. Consequently, he decided to terminate the operation and withdraw,” stated Yang Jin-hyeok, the director of operations at the Joint Chiefs.

At the time, the troops were conducting mine detection and operational strategies while moving on foot. They were moving in a three-team formation — the search team (under the command of the reconnaissance battalion commander), the command team, and the operational support team. The first explosion occurred after the reconnaissance battalion commander, who was with the detection team, decided to withdraw from the operation. An engineer standing next to the commander took a step to the left while preparing to retreat, which then triggered the explosion. The explosion knocked down three people in the area. The Joint Chiefs explained that the reconnaissance battalion commander shouted at the fallen engineer, asking about the state he was in, only for a second explosion to knock him down as well. “After the first explosion, a reconnaissance team member nearby approached the crater to pull out personnel trapped inside, which led to a second explosion,” Yang stated. As a result of this second explosion, the reconnaissance battalion commander sustained a severe injury to his left ankle and was also wounded by shrapnel to his right thigh and other areas. An intelligence officer who had been moving with the reconnaissance battalion commander at the time was standing when the explosion occurred and sustained shrapnel wounds to the face and other areas. The reconnaissance battalion commander and two engineers suffered serious injuries, while another soldier sustained minor injuries. Audio recordings from a guard post at the scene indicate that the second explosion occurred 58 seconds after the first.

Following not only one, but two explosions, the engineers reportedly employed a more precise method to detect mines to secure an escape route. After kneeling and using hand picks to scrape away the ground, they advanced 20 meters before reaching a safe area. While this was happening, an engineer standing at the very front discovered an additional square-shaped object, presumed to be a land mine, buried about one meter away from the site of the first explosion. Those who saw the object described it as being made of a “smooth, brown, plastic-like material,” or being similar to a “wooden-box land mine.” The military believes this remaining mine is a brown plastic anti-personnel mine resembling the wooden-box land mines used by the North Korean military. The troops had to make a daring escape, cutting through dense, rugged terrain while carrying the severely injured commander. Subsequently, an emergency helicopter entered the DMZ, and the wounded were transported to the Korean Armed Forces Capital Hospital. “By the time the evacuation was complete, most of the operational troops were drained and exhausted,” Yang said.

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