▲ Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul speaks during a parliamentary audit at the defense ministry headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, on Oct. 7, 2026. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)
▲ This photo, released by South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Oct. 5, 2026, captures the moment of a mine-clearing operation conducted by the South Korean military on that day in response to the Sept. 21 mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that Seoul has blamed on Pyongyang. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES story with defense minister's remarks throughout; CHANGES photos; TRIMS)

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Yonhap) -- North Korea appears to be taken aback by South Korea's investigation results blaming Pyongyang for a recent mine blast near the inter-Korean border and its subsequent mine-clearing operation in the area, Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said Wednesday.

Kang's remarks came after the North repeatedly denied responsibility for the Sept. 21 explosion that severely injured two South Korean soldiers, dismissing Seoul's findings as a "farce" designed to fabricate results and shift the blame to Pyongyang.

The North's foreign ministry made such claims in a statement released through state media late Tuesday, a day after the South's military concluded land mines deliberately planted by North Korean troops were the cause of the blast south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The military also conducted an operation Monday to remove additional mines at the blast site.

"We assess that they were quite flustered by our responses," Kang told lawmakers during a parliamentary audit.

"Unlike previous statements issued swiftly, (North Korea) released the (latest) statement about a day after we announced the final investigation results and launched mine-clearing operations," Kang said. "We also note that it was the (North's) foreign ministry that issued the statement."

Some experts noted that Pyongyang sought to moderate its rhetoric by issuing Tuesday's statement under its foreign ministry, rather than harsh commentaries from Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un.

Kang also told parliament that the mission cleared "all" mines in the area.

In response to an opposition lawmaker's point that hundreds of North Korean land mines are likely buried south of the MDL, Kang said the military shares similar assessments.

"It is a matter that requires joint verification with the U.N. Command (UNC)," the minister said.

Kang stopped short of specifying the areas where the North is suspected to have planted mines, only saying there are "several" such locations.

"We will continue to carry out necessary measures after ensuring we have completed the joint probe with the UNC," he said.

Seoul is weighing further countermeasures, determining that North Korea's apparent border intrusion and mine-laying activities along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) constitute violations of the Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

The defense ministry said it is seeking to formally declare the North's border activities as a violation of the armistice agreement.

"Following a joint investigation with the UNC into North Korea's MDL incursions, we plan to formalize its armistice violations and strongly demand an immediate halt to border breaches and to restore the DMZ to its original state," the ministry said in a document submitted to lawmakers for the audit.

"Concurrently, we are pushing for inter-Korean military talks to prevent future accidental clashes and discuss reopening communication hotlines and aligning the MDL markers along the DMZ," it said.

The issue of the border line has reemerged since last month's mine blast.

When the armistice agreement was signed in 1953, the UNC and North Korea installed 1,292 marker posts along the MDL to mark the ceasefire line. However, most have deteriorated or been lost over time, leaving only about 200 identifiable markers today.

The South Korean military defines the MDL based on the mapping designated by the U.N. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The UNC uses a different set of coordinates established through its own 2016 MDL project.

North Korea is believed to use its own version of the MDL based on physical markers.

Calls have grown for efforts to reduce the discrepancies in border mapping. The UNC, which has legal jurisdiction on MDL management under the armistice, shares the need for clarifying the MDL baseline and reportedly conveyed its position to Pyongyang in the past.

"We will also pursue coordinated action with the UNC regarding the North's moves to either reduce or dismantle the buffer zone specified in the armistice agreement," the ministry said.

On the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) from Washington to Seoul, the ministry renewed its push for a road map to expedite the transfer, including efforts toward the certification of "full operational capability (FOC)."

The ministry noted it plans to consult with Washington to permanently establish a combined special operations component command by the end of this year. The unit is one of six combined component commands the allies plan to set up prior to the OPCON transfer, four of which have already been launched.

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