South Korea Issues Warning Over Potential Landmine Threat
South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has issued a warning that landmines laid by North Korea in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) may have been washed into South Korea due to recent heavy rainfall.
The warning comes after a series of heavy downpours and North Korea’s unannounced release of water from the Hwanggang Dam on the Imjin River. The Imjin River flood warning was issued by South Korean authorities, and satellite imagery confirmed the water release from the dam.
High Possibility of Landmines Washing into South Korea
Capt. Jang Do-young, a JCS spokesman, emphasized the high possibility of the washed-away landmines flowing into South Korea via the rivers shared between the two Koreas. He warned that an explosion of these landmines could cause significant damage and urged the public to be cautious when near inter-Korean rivers.
Jang also advised the public to report any suspected landmines to police or a nearby military unit. The warning comes as North Korea continues to fortify the border and harden its military posture towards South Korea.
North Korea’s Recent Military Activities
North Korea has increased the number of troops assigned to the DMZ from approximately 1,000 last year to about 5,000 this year. The country has also been laying large numbers of landmines inside the DMZ, and Pyongyang has scrapped an inter-Korean military agreement and declared South Korea a ‘hostile state.’
Seoul’s Defense Ministry has described North Korea’s activities as a violation of the armistice agreement that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War. However, the U.S.-led United Nations Command has contradicted this assessment.
Warning and Response
The warning issued by the JCS is a timely reminder of the ongoing tensions between North and South Korea. The response from the Unification Ministry has emphasized the importance of responsible cooperation between the two sides in the face of natural disasters.
A Unification Ministry official stated that joint responses to natural disasters should be treated as humanitarian matters, and responsible cooperation between the two sides is necessary. This comes after North Korea’s unannounced dam release in 2009, which caused flooding that killed six South Koreans.
The official also noted that North Korea’s recent release of water from the dam without advance notice has prompted the Unification Ministry to publicly urge Pyongyang to provide advance notice in the future.
The appeal served as a form of ‘indirect communication’ as Pyongyang had cut off inter-Korean communication channels in April 2023.
North Korea’s recent activities along the DMZ have raised concerns about the potential for further escalation and the need for increased vigilance from both sides.
