S. Korea blames North for mine blasts, threatens ‘ harsh response’

SEOUL: South Korea yesterday accused North Korea of planting landmines that maimed two soldiers on border patrol, sending military tensions on the Korean peninsula soaring as it threatened to make Pyongyang pay a ‘harsh price’.

The Defence Ministry said it believed three landmines exploded in the incident last Tuesday, hitting a patrol in the demilitarized zone ( DMZ) — a buffer zone stretching two kilometres on either side of the actual frontier line dividing the two Koreas.

“We are certain they were North Korean landmines planted with an intention to kill by our enemies who sneaked across the military border,” ministry spokesman Kim Min- Seok told reporters.

We are certain they were North Korean landmines planted with an intention to kill by our enemies who sneaked across the military border.

Kim Min-Seok, ministry spokesman

One soldier underwent a double leg amputation, while the other had one leg removed.

In a statement, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its military would make North Korea “pay a harsh price proportionate for the provocation it made.”

Describing the attack as a ‘baseless act’ and ‘wanton violation’ of non- aggression accords, the statement urged the North to apologise for the attack and punish those responsible. — AFP

A South Korean military official gives a briefing to the media at the scene of a blast inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Paju, South Korea. — Reuters photo