North Korean mines likely behind blasts that injured 3 South Korean personnel, Seoul says

South Korea's military said on Monday that explosions that injured three of its officers inside the heavily fortified demilitarised zone were probably caused by North Korean mines.The preliminary finding was made public by the joint chiefs of staff after the border site was examined alongside the US-led United Nations Command, which included 40 personnel.The military added that it would act appropriately over the incident once conclusive findings are in, and that every option would be weighed when deciding on a military response.The three South Korean officers were wounded on September 21 in two back-to-back explosions as they were marking out a patrol route near the military demarcation line, in the western stretch of the demilitarised zone.The verdict could add to tensions between the two rivals.Initially, officials in the South said the explosions seemed to have been caused by mines, but they stopped short of blaming North Korea.Earlier, Seoul’s media outlets reported that North Korean troops had restarted their fortification efforts near the frontier in March, including laying mines and putting up fences.A JCS official said that soldiers had reported spotting an object near the site of the explosions which looked like a North Korean wooden-box mine."We received testimony that (what the troops witnessed) was similar to a wooden-box land mine," the official said.According to the JCS, several witnesses said the object resembled a wooden-box mine but seemed to be made of plastic, whereas one other witness thought it was a different type of mine.Relations have worsened considerably in recent years, as North Korea's nuclear weapons programme has accelerated and US-led diplomacy aimed at resolving the nuclear standoff has collapsed.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.