▲ Maj. Gen. Yang Jin-hyuk, director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), shows a North Korean plastic antipersonnel mine collected by the South Korean military, a device it says is identical to the North Korea-planted mine that injured South Korean troops in a blast on Sept. 21, 2026, during a press briefing at the defense ministry headquarters in Seoul, on Oct. 5. (Yonhap)
▲ Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a parliamentary audit into his ministry in Seoul on Oct. 6, 2026. (Yonhap)

(ATTN: ADDS more comments in paras 7-10, additional photo; TRIMS)

By Oh Seok-min

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday that South Korea is reviewing various diplomatic measures in response to recent mine explosions inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), while seeking to prevent the situation from escalating unnecessarily.

Cho made the remarks during a parliamentary audit of his ministry, a day after the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) concluded that North Korean land mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) caused injuries to three South Korean soldiers inside the DMZ on Sept. 21.

"We take this matter very seriously. Based on the final results of the investigation, the ministry is reviewing various things it can do and will work with the National Security Council to formulate the government's response," Cho said.

The blasts occurred while South Korean troops were clearing a path for a joint inspection with the U.N. Command (UNC) to verify suspicions that Pyongyang had illegally planted land mines south of the border in violation of the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

The minister said the review also includes past responses and measures involving the United Nations, as lawmakers noted that a similar incident in 2015 could serve as a reference. In 2015, three wooden-box North Korean land mines exploded south of the inter-Korean border, seriously injuring two South Korean soldiers.

The Seoul government subsequently sent a letter to the president of the U.N. Security Council through its ambassador to the U.N., expressing regret over the North's provocation and urging Pyongyang to refrain from further provocations.

"If we bring the issue to the U.N. Security Council, there could be a presidential statement or a stronger Security Council resolution. There is also the option of sending a letter or, depending on its effectiveness, choosing not to pursue a Security Council-level response," Cho said. "We are considering all four options."

Asked whether the government is considering independent sanctions against North Korea, Cho said South Korea is reviewing such measures over North Korea's cyberactivities based on the findings of a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT).

"We are considering such measures. The government will continue to weigh when and how to impose them," Cho said.

In its 2025 report, the MSMT, a U.S.-led multilateral sanctions monitoring mechanism, documented North Korea's use of cyber operations and overseas IT workers to evade U.N. sanctions and generate revenue for its weapons programs.

Cho said he agreed with the need to clarify the MDL, adding that the government is preparing measures in cooperation with the UNC to encourage Pyongyang to respond to such efforts.

Cho rejected the claim that the government may have delayed its response to the incident out of concern about provoking North Korea.

"Firmly making demands to North Korea and managing the situation so that it does not unnecessarily escalate are two sides of the same coin," Cho said. "We will continue efforts on both fronts."

North Korea has denied responsibility for the recent explosions and warned of retaliation if South Korea takes corresponding action.

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