South Korea is preparing a response aimed at pressuring North Korea to apologise over a mine blast in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that seriously injured two South Korean soldiers, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
Seoul is also calling on Pyongyang to hold talks over differences surrounding the exact alignment of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), which runs through the DMZ.
The Sept 21 blast injured three South Korean troops, two of whom sustained serious injuries.
Defence Ministry spokesperson Chung Bin-na did not specify what measures South Korea was considering in response to the incident.
Seoul has said a joint investigation with the United Nations Command found that the blast was caused by North Korean mines.
Chung said North Korea should remove mines it had planted south of the MDL, while acknowledging differences between the two Koreas over the precise location of the boundary.
“These differing views of the border line are one factor contributing to tensions in the area,” Chung said.
The MDL stretches more than 200km between the east and west coasts and is marked by about 1,900 markers. However, some sections have become difficult to identify after decades of limited access to the DMZ since the line was established in 1953 at the end of the Korean War.
North Korea has rejected South Korea’s accusation, describing it as “groundless”, and dismissed Seoul’s demand for an apology.
North Korean state media KCNA reported on Friday that Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said Pyongyang had not deliberately planted mines in the border area.
The latest dispute comes amid continued tensions along the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas.
