South Korea calls DMZ mine-clearing operation ‘decisive’ response against Pyongyang

South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul described a mine-clearing operation inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as a “decisive” response to North Korea, saying it was the first such mission conducted inside the buffer zone.

“Such a mine-clearing operation is unprecedented in history,” Kang told reporters at the Defense Ministry compound Tuesday, according to Yonhap News Agency.

“I believe the operation was a decisive response on our side,” he added.

His remarks came a day after South Korea’s military announced the findings of a joint investigation with the UN Command (UNC) into a Sept. 21 mine explosion that wounded three South Korean soldiers.

The investigation concluded that antipersonnel mines deliberately planted by North Korean troops south of the Military Demarcation Line caused the blast.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff and UNC subsequently identified additional mines around the blast site and removed a minefield south of the demarcation line on Monday.

South Korea earlier demanded an apology from Pyongyang and the immediate removal of mines it said violated the armistice agreement.

The military said the mines contained materials consistent with North Korean devices, while fragments recovered from the wounded soldiers matched North Korean plastic antipersonnel mines previously found near the Imjin River.

North Korea has denied responsibility.

Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed Seoul’s findings as a fabrication and warned of retaliation if South Korea takes corresponding action.

The Koreas remain technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.