N. Korean landmines could float into S. Korea, military warns

Jul 18, 2024, 10:10 am

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Defense Minister Shin Woo-sik speaks during a meeting on North Korea’s threats at the ministry in Seoul on July 17, 2024. /Source: The Ministry of National Defense

AsiaToday reporter Ji Hwan-hyuk

Concerns have been raised that tens of thousands of landmines installed by North Korea could be swept into South Korea amid heavy downpours, with some central regions forecast to receive up to 200 mm of rain until Friday. The South Korean military authorities are tightening their guard as North Korea might deliberately float mines on the shared rivers of the two Koreas as part of its “new tactic” to counter the anti-Pyongyang leaflet campaign.

The Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday held an emergency meeting of top military commanders, chaired by Defense Minister Shin Woo-sik, to discuss South Korea’s capabilities to counter North Korea’s potential provocations due to concerns over land mines placed by the North possibly flowing into South Korea amid heavy downpours.

Since April the North has been deploying large numbers of troops in front-line areas for an array of activities, such as planting mines and reinforcing roads for military operations, according to the defense ministry. The military believes that some of the areas where the North installed mines are connected to the shared rivers of the two Koreas such as the Imjin River, Yeokgokcheon Stream, Hwagang Stream, and Inbukcheon Stream, and they could flow down to the South in the event of flooding caused by summer rainfall.

The South Korean military is considering the possibility of the North intentionally float mines on rivers in the event of torrential rains, taking advantage of the sudden discharge of the Hwanggang Dam and the Imnam Dam. “It is difficult for North Korea to respond to balloons from South Korean private organizations during the rainy season,” an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. “If the North is committing acts of provocation through human resources, there is a possibility that it might intentionally float mines on the shared rivers of the two Koreas in order to harass South Koreans and the military.”

In fact, eight people including South Koreans were killed when a wooden-box mine lost in the North’s discharge of the Hwanggang Dam washed away in September 2009. In 2010, two people were killed by a wooden-box landmine lost in a heavy rain in the Imjin River basin. Since 2011, a total of 145 North Korean landmines have flown into the South from the shared rivers between the two Koreas.

“We are currently facing a complex crisis in which we must prepare for the threat of North Korean provocations and unpredictable natural disasters,” Shin said. “We will put the lives and safety of our people and soldiers first, and make efforts to command the details between the mission.”

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