S Korea demands apology from Pyongyang over landmine blast - BBC News                            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwj3dkvpm4e7o)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwj3dkvpm4e7o)  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwj3dkvpm4e7o)  (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwj3dkvpm4e7o)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-36.413a37b227.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-48.010dc96bcf.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-57.1fcd0dc805.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-60.52f68a148f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-72.f155fdb25f.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-76.cb5ee392d4.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-96.35ee2d1e20.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-114.7ccdf53cba.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-120.73e20442a9.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-128.060d346f09.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-144.e08bc23631.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-152.4de1981be0.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-180.1a18cb7b72.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-192.3ac042fa43.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-384.728e3a03d3.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/touch/news/touch-icon-512.685da29e9e.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-16.8a240ceacc.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/website/assets/static/icons/favicon/news/favicon-32.5cf4e6db02.png)  (../../../static.files.bbci.co.uk/core/manifest.11b0cb15658c4719a2c19e25644577223adaa7b2.json)   (https://www.bbc.com)   BBC Homepage    (cwj3dkvpm4e7o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#main-heading) Skip to content  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/) Accessibility Help          (https://account.bbc.com/account?lang=en-GB&ptrt=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Farticles%2Fcwj3dkvpm4e7o)    Your account       (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (cwj3dkvpm4e7o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)    More menu     (cwj3dkvpm4e7o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#global-navigation-more-menu)   More menu    (https://www.bbc.com/search?d=NEWS_GNL)    Search BBC      (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (cwj3dkvpm4e7o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#more-menu-button)   Close menu          (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news)   BBC News      (cwj3dkvpm4e7o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-menu)    Menu  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news) Home   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cmj34zmwm1zt) Climate   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world) World   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/us_and_canada) US & Canada   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk) UK   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business) Business   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology) Tech   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment) Science   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment_and_arts) Entertainment & Arts   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health) Health     (cwj3dkvpm4e7o@at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss.html#product-navigation-more-menu)    More     (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in_pictures) In Pictures   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/bbcverify) BBC Verify   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat) Newsbeat         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/asia) Asia   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/asia/china) China   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world/asia/india) India           South Korea demands apology from Pyongyang for landmine blasts that injured three      (A soldier in camouflage uniform and helmet stands guard in front of a tall metal fence topped with barbed wire. Beyond the fence, a narrow railway track and barren winter landscape stretch into the distance.)    Image source,  Getty Images  Image caption,  Explosions in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) earlier this month have set off a war of words between North and South Korea       By Koh Ewe  and Jake Kwon ,  Seoul correspondent     Published 30 September 2026, 04:38 BST        Updated 4 hours ago       South Korea's military has demanded an apology from North Korea for landmine blasts along their shared border that wounded South Korean soldiers earlier this month.  Three South Korean personnel were injured by explosions in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) - a buffer zone separating the two Koreas, on 21 September. South Korea said on Tuesday it was "certain" that the blasts, which happened on South Korea's side of the DMZ, came from North Korean mines. It vowed to take "corresponding measures" for what he said was a violation of a decades-old armistice. North Korea has denied responsibility for the blasts, calling Seoul's claims "groundless" and a "farce" to escalate tensions on the peninsula. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accused South Korea of "cooking up" the claims for "political and military provocation". Kim denied suggestions that North Korean had crossed the border to plant the mines, calling it "a deliberate and planned strained assertion to shift the responsibility for escalating tension" to North Korea. Her statement, published in state media on Wednesday, also warned the South to be "prepared for paying price for the farce of their own making." South Korea says the mines are believed to have been laid by Pyongyang to fortify its border. In a statement on Wednesday, it called for North Korea to apologise for the blast and put an immediate stop to such fortification activities along the border. South Korean Defence Minister Kang Shin-chul previously said on Tuesday that the blasts were a "clear" violation of the 1953 armistice, which halted active combat in the Korean War.  That armistice resulted in the creation of the 4km-wide (2.5-mile) DMZ, a buffer strip containing the Military Demarcation Line which marks the land border between the two Koreas. In the decades since, sporadic clashes and mine explosions have broken out in the DMZ. In 2015, two South Korean soldiers were maimed by landmines while patrolling the area. South Korea said the mines had been secretly planted by North Korean soldiers near a South Korean guard post - a claim that Pyongyang denied. Kim referenced that 2015 incident in her statement on Wednesday, claiming South Korea had used that as a "pretext" to escalate tensions, and were doing the same thing now. Ties between Pyongyang and Seoul have only deteriorated since 2015, raising the risk of friction when such incidents happen. Christopher Green, a senior consultant with Crisis Group, tells the BBC that "The North Koreans have been wilfully attempting to harden the border [and] eliminate inter-Korean relations". As a result, he adds, the two Koreas no longer have the "same low-level communication" that they shared in 2015. "Accidental escalation on the Korean Peninsula is always just a few steps away, and it's fewer steps now than it was in 2015," he says. The United Nations Command, which conducted the on-site investigations into the blasts with the South Korean military, said it would handle the violation of the 1953 armistice "through established Armistice mechanisms". "UNC remains committed to maintaining and enforcing the Armistice Agreement and fulfilling its responsibilities to preserve stability and prevent escalation on the Korean Peninsula," it said.     Related topics  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cywd23g0gz5t) North Korea  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/cnx753jej1xt) South Korea  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c5rznn0nvvyt) Asia           (vertical video collection) The video playlist   Watch our pick of standout clips from across the BBC      Previous     Next         0:49 Social worker kept more than 80 dogs in filthy house. 00:00:49, play video Social worker kept more than 80 dogs in filthy house    (More than 10 Springer Spaniel-type dogs crowded together on a dirty staircase.)           0:59 What makes you socially anxious? 00:00:59, play video What makes you socially anxious?    (A young woman with nose piercings, blue jeans, and a black top speaking into a BBC branded microphone, looking like she's in conversation)           0:56 UK could go 'all the way' towards rejoining EU, Burnham tells BBC. 00:00:56, play video UK could go 'all the way' towards rejoining EU, Burnham tells BBC    (Andy Burnham is seated and talking to some off camera. He has short dark hair and wears glasses. He is wearing a white shirt and dark suit jacket, with no tie.)           0:42 Orionid meteor shower set to light up UK sky. 00:00:42, play video Orionid meteor shower set to light up UK sky    (Silhouette of a bare trees with a meteor shower in the night sky behind them.)           1:12 How to make these delicious chicken koftas. 00:01:12, play video How to make these delicious chicken koftas    (Chicken koftas)           1:39 Britain's three original drinking spots. 00:01:39, play video Britain's three original drinking spots    (Close up of a pint of ale on a wooden table, with a roaring fireplace in the background.)           1:26 Man City guilty of 'sham' contracts and misleading accounts. 00:01:26, play video Man City guilty of 'sham' contracts and misleading accounts    (Etihad Stadium at night)           0:38 Man City CEO asked about Premier League charges. 00:00:38, play video Man City CEO asked about Premier League charges    (Ferran Soriano)           0:50 Are you paying for other people's retirements? 00:00:50, play video Are you paying for other people's retirements?    (Someone holding a number of 10 and 20 pound notes.)           1:28 Tennessee to execute first woman in almost 200 years. 00:01:28, play video Tennessee to execute first woman in almost 200 years    (A woman with curly brown hair having a mug shot taken.)           0:41 Man jailed for ramming stolen tractor into house. 00:00:41, play video Man jailed for ramming stolen tractor into house    (A tractor sticking out of the ground floor of a two-storey house.)           0:50 Noisy manhole misery for residents. 00:00:50, play video Noisy manhole misery for residents    (A woman with bobbed brown hair looks at someone off-camera)           0:41 Grab your sunnies, the warm weather is returning... 00:00:41, play video Grab your sunnies, the warm weather is returning...    (A woman and a child sit on a bench with their backs to the camera. The woman is holding an umbrella to hide from the sun. The sea is in the background and the pair are dressed in summer clothes.)           1:15 'Using my Welsh accent was liberating for me as an actor' 00:01:15, play video 'Using my Welsh accent was liberating for me as an actor'    (Catherine Zeta-Jones in her new film, with tied back dark hair and a purple fluffy jacket.)           1:13 The truth about oily fish and your brain. 00:01:13, play video The truth about oily fish and your brain    (Presenter Mykyta Osadchyi looking at the camera with an illustration of some fish above him)           1:09 The cyclist who dressed as man to avoid the Taliban. 00:01:09, play video The cyclist who dressed as man to avoid the Taliban    (Fariba Hashimi)               Top stories (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cw980g1lem5pt)     Live.    Israel-bound flight lands in Saudi Arabia after reported stabbing in cockpit     34292 viewing 34k viewing             (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmlyewr0lnj3o) Move to rejoin EU among options for UK, says Burnham     Published 1 hour ago            (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqn8m342rgk9o) One of the five men arrested near RAF Fairford called 999 himself     Published 9 hours ago                More to explore (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c674evx4p1x1o) 'Mum sent them £140,000': How to spot the signs a loved one is being scammed      (Helen is standing in front of a garden fence. She has long hair and is wearing a black top with a black and white cardigan over it)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c8n5d0e0n6wdo)    Girl has multiple surgeries to control infections after strike in Gaza. Video Girl has multiple surgeries to control infections after strike in Gaza           (A young girl is seen in a hospital bed while a woman wearing scrubs strokes her hair)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c63reg9dnex9o) Could changing the pension triple lock pay for Burnham's big social care plan?      (A senior man sat down speaking to a younger adult wearing a lanyard and holding a tablet.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm4gl1yllg6po) Hidden habits that make your social anxiety worse and how to break them      (A  female university student in a library wearing a demin jacket looking towards the camera with her hand on a book)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm89jkn232xxo) People troll my DIY but they just spur me on      (DIY influencer Jasmine Gurney stands outside in front of a fence, holding an orange and black power tool.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmew9vd8vqrko) Care homes behind bars - coping with an ageing prison population      (Inmate in a wheelchair. You cannot see the man's head. He is in a room behind bars where food is being served)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cme3r9ny2p4xo) Endometriosis trial gives hope to millions of women in pain like me      (A woman, Charlotte McCann, smiling at the camera, she is wearing a floral top, and she has tattoos visible just below her shoulders.)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4grdn91j98o) From 999 fears to failed payments - life in UK's phone signal 'blackspots'      (A female market trader wearing a black t-shirt and purple cap smiles at the camera)         (https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsletters/zgmn46f) US Politics Unspun: Cut through the noise with Anthony Zurcher's newsletter      (A cut of of Anthony Zurcher wearing a suit and tie in front of a red, black, grey and blue graphic background featuring the US Capitol Building)             Elsewhere on the BBC (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00304f5?at_mid=cDXPjHDyO7&at_campaign=Blue_Lights_S4_E1&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=p0f2cxpr&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Blue_Lights_S4_E1&at_bbc_team=BBC) The new series of the Bafta-winning police drama is here        (Blue Lights)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0032jxk?at_mid=yw39dB8utx&at_campaign=Disclosure_Investigates_Killer_on_the_Ward&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=SCT&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=p0hrmv27&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Disclosure_Investigates_Killer_on_the_Ward&at_bbc_team=BBC) Was Colin Norris wrongly convicted of killing his patients?        (Disclosure Investigates: Killer on the Ward)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0030byq?at_mid=6hU4z9TSEO&at_campaign=Stacey_Dooley_Sleeps_Over_S4_E1&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=iplayer&at_brand=p0dglmgw&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Stacey_Dooley_Sleeps_Over_S4_E1&at_bbc_team=BBC) Stacey Dooley meets extraordinary families across the USA        (Stacey Dooley Sleeps Over USA)        (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct8grf?at_mid=GTWKW6AwRS&at_campaign=Business_Daily_Follow_the_Money_Why_does_an_Oktoberfest_beer_cost_16&at_medium=display_ad&at_campaign_type=owned&at_nation=NET&at_audience_id=SS&at_product=sounds&at_brand=p002vsxs&at_ptr_name=bbc&at_ptr_type=media&at_format=image&at_objective=consumption&at_link_title=Business_Daily_Follow_the_Money_Why_does_an_Oktoberfest_beer_cost_16&at_bbc_team=BBC) Why does an Oktoberfest beer cost €16?        (Business Daily)            Most read 1 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm7802ylq973o) Greggs to shut four factories and cut 740 jobs       2 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqn8m342rgk9o) One of the five men arrested near RAF Fairford called 999 himself       3 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c674evx4p1x1o) 'Mum sent them £140,000': How to spot the signs a loved one is being scammed       4 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwz0zvj4m1myo) Household energy bills forecast to see biggest rise in four years       5 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3x2z9k1zdn4o) US actor Chad Lowe 'heartbroken' by death of daughter Fiona aged 13       6 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c920v3y1gjgpo) Huel ad banned for suggesting its products could replace all conventional food       7 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm4gl1yllg6po) Hidden habits that make your social anxiety worse - and how to break them       8 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm89jkn232xxo) People troll my DIY but they just spur me on       9 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4grdn91j98o) From 999 fears to failed payments - life in UK's phone signal 'blackspots'       10 (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmpq0r1ljpqwo) What we know about Cornell University frat house rape investigation                BBC News Services  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628994)    On your mobile  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/help-50068132)    On smart speakers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10628323)    Get news alerts  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/20039682)    Contact BBC News     (https://www.bbc.com) Home  (https://www.bbc.com/news) News  (https://www.bbc.com/sport) Sport  (https://www.bbc.com/future/earth) Earth  (https://www.bbc.com/reel) Reel  (https://www.bbc.com/worklife) Worklife  (https://www.bbc.com/travel) Travel  (https://www.bbc.com/culture) Culture  (https://www.bbc.com/future) Future  (https://www.bbc.com/culture/music) Music  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/schedules/p00fzl9m) TV  (https://www.bbc.com/weather) Weather  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds) Sounds   (https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms) Terms of Use  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc) About the BBC  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/privacy) Privacy Policy  (https://www.bbc.com/usingthebbc/cookies) Cookies  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility) Accessibility Help  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/guidance) Parental Guidance  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact) Contact the BBC  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/careers) Careers  (https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnewsletter) BBC emails for you  (https://www.bbc.com/advertisingcontact/) Advertise with us    Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/editorialguidelines/guidance/links-and-feeds) Read about our approach to external linking.         ()