00:00Counting more than 30 groups as censors.
00:01In the end, the military confirmed that the mines installed in the DMZ
00:04were indeed planted by North Korean soldiers.
00:06Our military issued a strong warning to North Korea.
00:08However, North Korea has flatly denied this announcement,
00:10and even mentioned retaliation against the South Korean military.
00:12Tensions between the two Koreas are rising again.
00:14Kang Hyun Woo, the Director of Operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
00:17made a statement at the Ministry of National Defense on the 30th.
00:19Director Kang stated that on September 21,
00:21our soldiers who were conducting normal search operations south of the military demarcation line
00:23suffered serious injuries from North Korean military landmines.
00:26This is the first time the military has officially referred to them as North Korean military landmines.
00:29At first, it was explained only to the extent that it was highly likely to be a North Korean military
00:32landmine,
00:33but in this announcement, the assessment that it was a landmine planted by the North Korean military
00:36was officially confirmed.
00:37The issue the military raised is North Korea's so-called borderline demarcation.
00:41North Korea has been continuing to plant landmines and strengthen defensive facilities
00:44near the military demarcation line.
00:45Our military pointed out that these actions are raising tensions in the border area,
00:48and are also in violation of the armistice agreement.
00:51In particular, since our soldiers were seriously injured in this incident,
00:53we demanded an apology and responsible measures from North Korea.
00:56Director Kang also made it clear that North Korea will be held responsible
00:58for any situations that may occur in the future.
01:00However, North Korea's response was completely different.
01:02Kim Yo-jong completely denied our military's announcement.
01:04They claimed that the assertion that this landmine explosion
01:05was the work of the North Korean military is groundless,
01:07and argued that it is a staged incident similar to the 2015 wooden box landmine incident.
01:11At that time, North Korea also denied South Korea's announcement that they had planted landmines.
01:15However, during the subsequent high-level inter-Korean talks,
01:17there was an expression of regret regarding the landmine provocation.
01:20This time, North Korea used even stronger language.
01:22Kim Yo-jong warned that if the South Korean military conducts live-fire drills against North Korea,
01:25they will retaliate immediately and mercilessly.
01:28She even said that if a single bullet falls on North Korean territory,
01:30South Korea must be prepared for serious consequences.
01:32She also stated that new response guidelines have been issued to North Korean border units,
01:35and that they will take measures to strengthen tactical counter-attack capabilities
01:38in the direction of the South Korean Army's 3rd Corps and 21st Infantry Division.
01:41There is an important point to note here.
01:43The area on the Western Front where landmines were found,
01:45and the area mentioned by Kim Yo-jong,
01:46the 21st Infantry Division, are different locations.
01:48The 21st Infantry Division is located on the Eastern Front,
01:51and it is known as the area where there have been recent cases of North Korean troops approaching
01:54and crossing the military demarcation line.
01:56Therefore, North Korea's recent warning can be seen as a message,
01:58not only about the landmine explosion incident itself,
02:00but also with potential clashes that could occur around the military demarcation line in mind.
02:04Generally, our military issues warning broadcasts when North Korean troops approach
02:07the military demarcation line, and if an actual intrusion occurs,
02:10we follow procedures to drive them back with warning shots.
02:12North Korea defines such responses as threats against itself.
02:14With both sides' claims directly clashing over this landmine incident,
02:17it is difficult to rule out the possibility that tensions could quickly escalate
02:21if an unexpected situation occurs in the DMZ in the future.
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