Three South Korean soldiers injured in DMZ blast near border, military says

SEOUL, South Korea — Three South Korean military officers were injured Monday in an unexplained explosion while conducting an operation in the western sector of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. Two of the officers were evacuated by helicopter. The third was expected to be transported by road before also being airlifted, the JCS said in a statement, without providing further details on their condition. South Korean media reported the blast might have been caused by a mine. The explosion took place south of the Military Demarcation Line within the DMZ, the JCS said. The heavily fortified border has separated the countries since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. Mine explosions and other blasts are a recurring hazard in and around the DMZ, where legacy devices and suspected stray mines have periodically injured military personnel on both sides. North Korean forces resumed fortification work starting in March near the border, including mine-laying ​and fence ​construction, media reports said. Earlier this month, South Korean lawmaker Yu Yong-weon said minefields and other installations built by North Korea crossed the Military Demarcation Line by about 30 to 50 feet at six locations in the western area of the DMZ.