Three South Korean officers injured in DMZ blast amid border tensions

Seoul,UPDATED: Sep 21, 2026 14:42 IST

Three South Korean military officers were injured in an explosion inside the Demilitarised Zone on Monday, officials said. The blast took place during an unspecified operation near the military demarcation line in the western section of the border buffer zone, commonly known as the DMZ.

South Korea's Defence Ministry said the cause of the explosion was not immediately clear. Officials also did not say whether it may have been caused by a land mine planted by North Korea, as tensions between the two countries have risen sharply in recent months.

According to the ministry, two of the officers were airlifted from the site by helicopter. The third was moved by land before also being airlifted. All three are being treated at a military hospital near Seoul.

The DMZ, which is 248 kilometres long and 4 kilometres wide, is one of the world's most heavily armed borders. An estimated 2 million mines are spread inside and near the border, which is also guarded by barbed-wire fences, tank traps and combat troops on both sides. The zone dates back to the Korean War of 1950 to 1953, which ended with an armistice and not a peace treaty.

Border tensions have been increasing. North Korea has stepped up military activity this month, including short-range ballistic missile launches on Sunday, live-fire missile and artillery drills, and the commissioning of a new warship, as leader Kim Jong Un continues to highlight his growing nuclear programme despite US calls to resume diplomacy.

There have also been concerns in South Korea over increased activity by North Korean soldiers near the military demarcation line as Pyongyang strengthens its border defences. South Korea's military has not officially confirmed media reports that North Korean soldiers crossed the demarcation line more than 20 times during front-line operations in August alone. In April 2025, South Korea's military fired warning shots after about 10 North Korean soldiers crossed the line in the eastern section of the DMZ. The soldiers retreated after audio warnings and the shots, and there were no clashes. In June 2024, North Korean troops crossed the border three times, prompting South Korea to fire warning shots.

Kim has in recent years suspended virtually all cooperation and diplomacy with South Korea, while calling Seoul his most hostile enemy during the deadlock in his wider nuclear talks with Washington. North Korean mines have also in the past been washed into South Korea by swollen rivers, killing or injuring civilians. In August 2015, land mine blasts maimed two South Korean soldiers and sharply raised tensions between the two Koreas. Monday's blast again underlined the risks around the heavily fortified border as the two sides remain at odds.

With PTI Inputs

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