Military's DMZ blast probe draws scrutiny amid 'delayed response' criticism

South Korean forces and UN Command conducted a joint on-site investigation into a suspected landmine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone during the chuseok holiday, but made little headway. As the People Power Party and other opposition figures allege the government deliberately delayed the probe to avoid antagonizing North Korea, attention is turning to the forthcoming findings from the National Forensic Service and the Joint Chiefs of Staff's initial report.

The National Assembly's National Defense Committee visited the DMZ area under the jurisdiction of the Army's 25th Division on Monday to review the progress of the on-site investigation into the suspected landmine blast.

Democratic Party of Korea Defense Committee Chairman Jin Seong-jun, ruling party defense panel lawmakers and Reform Party lawmaker Cheon Ha-ram were among those who visited the DMZ. People Power Party members of the defense committee refused to join the visit, instead demanding that a formal interpellation session be convened.

Opposition lawmakers have pressed the military over what they called a delayed investigation, but the military has maintained that safety preparations must come first, citing the site's proximity to the Military Demarcation Line, dense vegetation and the absence of existing search routes — all of which make the area highly dangerous. There are also concerns that rain that fell in the Paju area on Thursday may have compromised the scene.

On Sunday, South Korean forces and UN Command launched an on-site investigation six days after the suspected landmine explosion. Military authorities had initially planned to conduct the inspection on Tuesday, before the chuseok holiday, but moved it up to Sunday after criticism over the delay intensified.

The investigation team managed to approach the vicinity of the suspected blast site by widening access routes, but was unable to reach the exact location of the incident and said it would continue the probe.

Military and UN Command personnel operated mine detectors at the front of the column from around 9 a.m. until sunset, conducting precision mine sweeps along DMZ access routes and expanding those routes further, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Some of the officers who took part in the trail-blazing operation on Sept. 21, the day of the incident, also joined the effort.

The Joint Chiefs added that the investigation area is an uncharted minefield within the DMZ and poses significant danger, and that the fatigue of personnel involved meant safety had to be the top priority.

Because the team did not reach the suspected blast site, it was also unable to collect mine debris from the scene. Securing shrapnel and other remnants left at the site has been identified as a key step in determining whether the explosive device was a North Korean or South Korean mine.

Asked about speculation over a possible North Korean connection to the landmine explosion, a Ministry of Unification official said the matter is under military investigation and that the ministry plans to monitor the results.

At around 10:50 a.m. on Sept. 21, two suspected landmine explosions occurred near the MDL in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, under the jurisdiction of the Army's 25th Division, seriously injuring two people — including a search battalion commander — and leaving one with minor injuries.

Separately from the on-site investigation, the military on Tuesday submitted requests to the National Forensic Service for forensic analysis of items including the injured soldiers' protective gear, mine overshoes, gauze used to collect gunpowder residue and shrapnel removed during surgery.