Three South Korean soldiers were hurt on Monday, September 21, when an explosion tore through their patrol in the western Demilitarized Zone, south of the Military Demarcation Line.
Two of them were flown to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital by emergency helicopter. The third was carried out by land first, then airlifted. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military is investigating.
How badly they were hurt is not settled. Yonhap, citing a military official, reported at least one soldier seriously injured. SBS put the number at two of the three, and said the blast came during a search and reconnaissance operation by the Army’s 25th Infantry Division.
A Landmine, but whose?
Authorities suspect a landmine. They have not said whether it is a leftover from the 1950-53 Korean War or something laid more recently. South Korean military estimates put about 800,000 mines in the DMZ region, so an old one is entirely plausible.
The newer possibility is why the question matters. The Joint Chiefs had already noted topographical changes south of the DMZ and were consulting the United Nations Command on whether North Korea might be laying mines. North Korea has reportedly added mines and anti-tank barriers since it designated South Korea its principal enemy in 2024.
Nothing so far points to cross-border fire or a military confrontation. This is not the first such injury. On November 20, 2025, an Army staff sergeant was hurt by a blast during a land-mine detection mission in Paju.
