North Korea Apparently Planted Landmines on South Korean Side of the DMZ Due to Dispute Over MDL
North Korea’s claims of not planting landmines on the South Korean side of the DMZ now makes sense. Much like with the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea, the North Koreans have a different interpretation of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) along the land-based DMZ. This explains the motive for planting the landmines; they are trying to enforce their claim over what they believe is the correct MDL:
The South Korean military removes a North Korean mine from its side of the Demilitarized Zone, Oct. 5, 2026. (South Korea Ministry of National Defense)
The investigation confirmed preliminary findings that North Korean troops crossed south of the Military Demarcation Line and buried at least four mines, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday during a press briefing. Two mines exploded on Sept. 21, injuring three South Korean soldiers. Investigators later discovered two unexploded North Korean mines nearby. Pyongyang has repeatedly denied responsibility and accused Seoul of making groundless allegations. Army Lt. Gen. Kwon Dae-won, the Joint Chiefs’ vice chairman, said investigators ruled out the possibility that flooding carried the mines into the area, citing their proximity and the distance between the blast holes. (……….)
South Korea uses a Military Demarcation Line marked on military maps under a standard established in 2004 with the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Kim said during Monday’s briefing. U.N. Command uses a line defined by approximately 23,000 coordinate points spaced about 33 feet apart under a 2016 project, he said. “To resolve these discrepancies regarding the MDL baseline, the South Korean military is continuously consulting with the U.N. Command to align our respective MDL standards,” he said. The differing standards complicate assessments of North Korean troop movements. North Korean forces crossed what South Korea considers the MDL nine times in 2024, 17 times last year and approximately 50 times this year, Kim said.
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