Possibility of North Korean landmines washed away and coming down to South increases due to recent heavy rains

North Korean soldiers are carrying landmines from the northern part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense

The rainy season has raised concerns that North Korea's recently buried landmines could be washed away through shared rivers between the two Koreas, including the Imjin River. The South Korean military does not rule out the possibility that the North will deliberately leave landmines unattended. The military said, "If you find an unknown object, never touch it and report it to military units and police stations."

According to the Ministry of National Defense on July 17, the North Korean army has buried tens of thousands of mines in the northern part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) since April. The work has been going on even though many soldiers were injured or killed in more than 10 explosions while laying landmines. The South Korean military believes the North lays mines to prevent North Korean soldiers or civilians from crossing into the south.

There is also a possibility that landmines buried near the Imjin River, Yeokgokcheon Stream, Hwagang River, and Inbukcheon Stream may flow into South Korea along the waterways during the torrential rains. This is especially true if the waterways are strong by opening the floodgates of the Hwanggang Dam, Pyeonggang Dam, and Imnam Dam. An official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff emphasized the possibility of landmine losses in the future, saying, "Some of the North Korean military's construction facilities were found in the central and western regions due to rain last week."

Landmines that are highly likely to be lost are leaf mines that look like leaves and wooden-box mines. Leaf mines are not easy to distinguish with the naked eye. The amount of explosive in a leaf mine (about 40 grams) varies between a conventional anti-personnel mine (20 grams) and a wooden-box mine (70 grams), but both have the destructive power to amputate the body. An army soldier was injured by a wooden-box mine in 2015.

The South Korean military has not ruled out the possibility that North Korea deliberately leaves mines to be lost. This is because the North Korean military is not doing the necessary work to prevent landmines from being washed away.

There is also some suspicion that the North may have chosen to leave the mines unattended instead of releasing trash balloons, as Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said on July 16 that a South Korean civilian group had sent propaganda leaflets to the North again and that “a change in our response is inevitable.”

“We are strengthening our preparedness by keeping open the possibility of various provocations along with the North Korean military's change in the means and methods of flying trash balloons,” said a Joint Chiefs of Staff official.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.