South Korea vows 'harsh price' for North Korean land mines in southern DMZ

North Korea stands accused of planting land mines in the path of South Korean patrols
(Image credit: Kim Doo-Ho/AFP/Getty Images)

Last Tuesday, two South Korean soldiers were badly injured when they stepped on land mines while patrolling the South Korean side of the DMZ, the demilitarized zone that has separated North and South Korea since the Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953. Seoul and the United Nations accuse North Korea of planting the mines recently, and on Monday, South Korean Maj. Gen. Koo Hong-mo warned that "North Korea will pay a harsh price proportionate to the provocation that North Korea made." He demanded an apology.

South Korea also resumed broadcasting loud anti-Pyonyang propaganda over the DMZ toward North Korea, something it hasn't done since 2004. The U.N. Command, which oversees the Armistice Agreement, also concluded that North Korea was responsible for planting mines in the DMZ, saying in a statement it "condemns these violations of the Armistice Agreement, and will call for a general officer level-dialogue with the Korean People's Army." Both wounded soldiers had to have parts of their legs amputated.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.