North Korean troops had recently crossed the border and deliberately planted the three land mines that inflicted serious injuries on two South Korean soldiers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday, condemning the provocation and warning of “severe punishment.” 

On Aug. 4 at around 7:40 a.m., two Army staff sergeants were critically wounded in a mine blast while patrolling the southern part of the heavily fortified demilitarized zone in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The explosion nearly severed the ankle of 23-year-old Kim and the wider part of both legs of 21-year-old Ha.

Following a two-day joint probe through Aug. 7 with the United Nations Command, the JCS has concluded that steel springs, firing pins and other perceived debris of the detonated devices collected from the scene corroborate with the wooden-boxed mines used by the North Korean military.

“The incident has been found to be a clear provocation in which North Korean soldiers illegally breached the Military Demarcation Line and intentionally emplaced wooden-boxed mines,” said Koo Hong-mo, a senior JCS official in charge of operations, issuing condemnation over what he called a “nasty act that any normal military cannot even think of.”

“Our military gravely urges North Korea to apologize and penalize those responsible. As we have repeated numerous times, we will have North Korea pay the severe price of its provocations.”

The UNC issued a separate statement lambasting Pyongyang’s violation of the armistice agreement, calling for general-officer-level talks with its military.

“The investigation determined that the devices were recently emplaced, and ruled out the possibility that these were legacy landmines which had drifted from their original placements due to rain or shifting soil,” the UNC said.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)