South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) has urged the public to exercise caution after signs emerged that some North Korean landmines buried in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) may have been washed away by recent heavy rainfall.
Speaking at a regular Defense Ministry briefing on July 23, JCS spokesperson Col. Jang Do-young said, “Recent heavy rain in North Korea appears to have displaced some of the many landmines the North Korean military planted in the Demilitarized Zone.”
“There is a high possibility that the displaced mines could be carried into South Korean territory through rivers shared by the two Koreas,” he said. “If these mines explode, they could cause serious damage.”
He urged people engaging in activities near shared rivers to remain vigilant and warned that anyone who discovers an object suspected to be a landmine should never touch it and should instead immediately report it to the nearest military unit or police station.
According to the JCS, rivers flowing near North Korean minefields in the DMZ include the Imjin River, Hantan River, Bukhan River, and Inbuk Stream. These waterways eventually connect to the Han River estuary.
The military had already issued a similar warning on July 7 ahead of the summer monsoon season, cautioning that floodwaters could carry displaced landmines downstream into South Korea.
To help the public recognize potential hazards, the JCS also released photographs of landmines previously recovered. Among them was a leaf-shaped anti-personnel mine roughly the size of a mobile phone.