North Korea tells UN Seoul fabricated DMZ landmine blast; howitzer seen near border

Mixed · 2North Korea's permanent representative to the UN sent a letter to the UN Security Council on Sunday (25 October) accusing South Korea of fabricating a landmine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers, according to North Korean state media KCNA. 1 2 Mixed · 2The letter called the incident a "sinister obstructive move" and a "farce to evade the responsibility for the ever-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula", and said Seoul was using it to depict North Korea's border construction as a military incursion. 1 2 Centre · 1It said violations of North Korea's sovereignty could trigger self-defence measures and that South Korea would be "wholly accountable for all the ensuing consequences". 2

Mixed · 2The letter described North Korea's border fortification as a legitimate exercise of sovereignty in line with the UN Charter, and accused South Korea of violating the Charter by firing warning shots at North Korean personnel in the DMZ. 1 2 Mixed · 2South Korea says North Korean landmines caused the 21 September blast inside the DMZ; its Foreign Ministry wrote to the Security Council president last week calling it a "clear violation of the armistice agreement". The US-led UN Command also said North Korean mine placement violated the 1953 Armistice Agreement, and Pyongyang denies responsibility. 1 2 Mixed · 2Seoul says it issues warning broadcasts and fires warning shots to send North Korean soldiers back when they cross the Military Demarcation Line; North Korean troops have in recent years been building tactical roads and fences and laying mines near it. 2 1

Mixed · 2South Korea's Defence Ministry proposed military talks days earlier to "mutually confirm the precise location" of the border and reduce the risk of accidental clashes. On Monday a Unification Ministry spokesperson said the North's letter appeared to repeat its existing position and justify its border line marking work, and gave no separate comment on the howitzer. 1 2 Centre · 1Separately, Yonhap on Sunday identified a North Korean self-propelled 122mm howitzer near the border, calling its display rare, based on photographs from an observatory in Gimpo. A Reuters witness at a South Korean observatory on Monday confirmed an artillery piece in clear view, plus three armoured vehicles with barrels pointed south and 20 to 30 soldiers doing fencing work inside the DMZ. 2 Centre · 1Lim Eul-chul, a Kyungnam University professor, said the display signals the North intends to enforce its border policy by force rather than dialogue, while also warning Seoul to avoid escalating friction so as to prevent an accidental clash. CNA noted a similar 2015 mine incident, after which Seoul resumed loudspeaker broadcasts, a standoff followed, and it ended with an inter-Korean agreement after North Korea expressed regret. 2