SEOUL: The blasts that wounded three South Korean soldiers last week were apparently caused by North Korean mines, Seoul said on Tuesday, accusing Pyongyang of an armistice violation and warning of "corresponding measures".
South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul spoke before a parliamentary hearing a day after his ministry said North Korean mines were "highly suspected" of causing the two explosions last week. "This is a clear violation of the armistice agreement, and since North Korea bears responsibility, we will take corresponding measures," he said. The military "has a range of necessary measures at our disposal, and we will implement them in stages", he added, without giving details.
Yang Jin-hyeok of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told lawmakers that a site investigation on Tuesday discovered an unexploded North Korean plastic anti-personnel mine. Minister Kang said on Tuesday that the North Korean mines linked to the September 21 incident were believed to have been laid as part of Pyongyang's border fortification work. There was no mention of last week's blasts on North Korean state media.
But Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, said that there is "very little South Korea can realistically do" in retaliation for the latest blasts. — AFP
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