Seoul:North Korea has issued a stern warning of an "immediate and powerful counteraction" if South Korea intrudes even "a millimeter" into its territory. This warning comes in response to Seoul's actions following a recent land mine explosion at the inter-Korean border, which South Korea attributes to Pyongyang.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the warning from North Korea's foreign ministry followed the South Korean military's conclusion that North Korea was responsible for planting the mines that led to the September 21 blast. This explosion on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) critically injured two South Korean soldiers.
In response to the incident, South Korea conducted a mine-clearing operation at the blast site, coordinated with the U.N. Command (UNC), which oversees the border area. Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul described the operation as a "decisive" response against North Korea.
Despite the mine-clearing efforts, North Korea's ministry dismissed the operation as irrelevant and warned that any violation of their territory would result in immediate retaliatory action. The ministry denied involvement in the mine blast, accusing South Korea of fabricating the incident to justify military actions.
The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported that their investigation concluded the mines were deliberately planted by North Korean troops, thus violating the Armistice Agreement. North Korea, however, maintains that it will exercise its sovereign rights to protect its border security and has ruled out dialogue with South Korea regarding military sovereignty.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young proposed a meeting between the two Koreas to address border discrepancies, citing deteriorating markers along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) as a contributing factor to the tensions. However, North Korea has shown no interest in talks, focusing instead on defending its territorial sovereignty.
South Korea, in conjunction with the UNC, has proposed military-level discussions with Pyongyang following past border incidents, but these have been rejected by North Korea. Defense Minister Kang reiterated that North Korea bears full responsibility for the recent blast and stressed that South Korea will continue to take necessary measures to protect national security.