N. Korea planted nearly 1 million mines in DMZ since 2024, military tells Assembly

North Korea is estimated to have planted close to one million mines in and around the Demilitarized Zone since 2024, suggesting that Pyongyang's campaign to fortify its border — launched after it redefined inter-Korean relations as those between "two hostile states" — is far larger in scale than previously understood.

The military told the National Assembly that North Korea is estimated to have laid roughly 960,000 mines in the DMZ area since 2024, according to multiple lawmakers' offices on the intelligence and defense committees Friday.

A Joint Chiefs of Staff official also said North Korea "is estimated to have planted a significant number of mines north of the MDL since 2024."

The new estimate has drawn attention because it could substantially revise the prevailing understanding of the total mine count across the DMZ.

Experts in the field have long cited a figure of roughly two million mines buried in the DMZ, including those laid by South Korean forces. Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young also cited "two million mines" when addressing the issue during a national audit on Oct. 7.

However, it remains unclear whether the roughly 960,000 mines North Korea is estimated to have newly planted since 2024 are included in the two million figure Jeong cited. If the 960,000 represent an addition on top of the existing two million, the total mine count in the DMZ could approach three million.

North Korea began its border fortification drive in earnest in April 2024. Beyond the large-scale mine-laying, it has simultaneously been clearing vegetation, erecting barriers, building tactical roads and fences, and cutting off road and rail links along the Gyeongui and Donghae lines.

The work has already caused casualties. On Sept. 21, a North Korean mine exploded south of the MDL, seriously injuring South Korean soldiers.

The military believes North Korean mines have spread not only north of the MDL but also into territory south of it. Kim Seong-yun, director of intelligence analysis at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at a briefing on Oct. 5 that "several locations south of the MDL have been identified where North Korean forces are estimated to have planted mines."

Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul also indicated agreement at the Oct. 7 national audit, when People Power Party lawmaker Yoo Yong-won said he believed "hundreds or more North Korean mines are likely planted south of the MDL alone." Kang said, "We share that assessment in part."

The government is conducting a special investigation with the UN Command to identify additional North Korean minefields south of the MDL beyond the area of the 25th Division, where the mine explosion occurred.

Military tensions along the border have also risen as North Korean troops have repeatedly crossed the MDL during the fortification work.

South Korean forces have responded to North Korean soldiers crossing the MDL with warning broadcasts and warning shots. The North has pushed back, claiming such measures threaten the safety of its troops.

Kim Yo-jong, director of the Korean Workers' Party's General Affairs Department, on Thursday again protested South Korea's warning shots, announcing that "new countermeasures" had been placed on standby along the entire border. She also warned that loudspeakers directed at the South would be put on standby within days.