South Korea blames North Korean mines for border blast injuries and demands apology

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s military said Monday it concluded North Korea planted mines that injured three South Korean soldiers at their heavily fortified border last month, urging the North to apologize and remove other mines.

The announcement came days after North Korea denied responsibility for the Sept. 21 blasts and threatened “merciless” retaliation if provoked over the case. It followed South Korea’s earlier, preliminary finding that said there was a “very high possibility” that mines buried by North Korea caused the explosions.

On Monday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said it reached a final conclusion that North Korean mines planted just south of the border exploded and injured the three soldiers who were working on creating a patrol route in a densely vegetated area. It cited a joint investigation of the site with the American-led U.N. Command, forensic analysis of TNT and other substances collected from the South Korean soldiers’ uniforms and one other North Korean mine discovered days after the blast.

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“Our military strongly urges North Korea to offer a sincere apology to our injured soldiers and immediately remove the mines that it installed in violation of an…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/world