Skip to content
Bramble

World

South Korea demands North Korean apology over DMZ mine blasts; Pyongyang denies

South Korea's military says North Korean mines injured three of its soldiers in the DMZ on 21 September and wants an apology. Kim Yo Jong rejected the claim as a "farce" and threatened retaliation.

6 outlets · 1L · 5C · 0R First reported Account updated

Updated (version 4). New coverage since the last version from South China Morning Post.

Image: Deutsche Welle
Image: Al Jazeera
Image: France 24
Image: South China Morning Post

1 / 4

The story, neutrally told

South Korea's military has demanded an apology from North Korea over landmine blasts in the Demilitarised Zone that injured three South Korean personnel on 21 September. Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul said on Tuesday that North Korean mines caused the blast and that Seoul would take "corresponding" action, with measures implemented in stages. A Joint Chiefs of Staff official said the military "strongly urges" an apology and "responsible measures", and that South Korean and UN investigators found another North Korean mine on Tuesday.

Seoul also called on Pyongyang to stop what it says are fortification activities along the border. Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, denied responsibility in a statement carried by state media, calling the claim a "farce" and accusing Seoul of "cooking up" the accusation. She said North Korean soldiers "have never crossed the border" and warned of "immediate and merciless retaliatory action" if South Korean forces fire at North Korean troops, not just warning shots.

She cited the 2015 incident, in which two South Korean soldiers were maimed by mines that Seoul blamed on the North and Pyongyang denied, as an earlier pretext. The US-led UN Command, which took part in the investigation, said it identified an active North Korean anti-personnel mine on the South Korean side of the Military Demarcation Line and determined an armistice violation occurred. The UN Command said it would handle the violation "through established Armistice mechanisms".

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on.

Left1 outlet

Framing
Frames the episode as an exchange of threats, with on-the-ground reporting from the DMZ.
Emphasis
Kim's retaliation warning and complaints about warning shots at troops doing fortification work.
Leaves out or plays down
Does not give the 2015 incident background.
Charged language
“military gangsters”“conspiratorial farce”
For example
“accused Seoul of making groundless claims to create a pretext for provocation against Pyongyang” — Al Jazeera
“N Korea and S Korea exchange threats over DMZ blast” — Al Jazeera

Centre5 outlets

Framing
Wire-style, balanced reporting of Seoul's demand and Pyongyang's rebuttal, leading with the apology demand or the denial.
Emphasis
Official statements, the 1953 armistice and the UN Command finding.
Leaves out or plays down
Little independent verification of either side's account.
Charged language
“farce”
For example
“North Korea has denied responsibility for the blasts, calling Seoul's claims "groundless" and a "farce"” — BBC News
“threatened retaliation against the south if there is any escalation” — France 24

Right0 outlets

No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.