Pyongyang accuses Seoul of staging mine blast

North Korea sent a formal letter to the United Nations Security Council on Sunday, asserting that South Korea fabricated a landmine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone.

The incident occurred on September 21. Three South Korean soldiers were injured in the blast. Seoul blamed North Korean mines for the damage. Pyongyang has consistently rejected that explanation.

The North Korean permanent representative to the UN described the event as a provocation. The letter accused the Republic of Korea of shifting blame for a dubious incident. It warned that further violations of sovereignty could trigger self-defense measures.

Pyongyang labeled the incident a sinister move designed to frame North Korea as a military aggressor. The letter called South Korean claims a farce intended to evade responsibility for rising tensions on the peninsula.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry sent its own letter to the UNSC president last week. That document cast blame on North Korea for the landmine blast. It called the event a clear violation of the 1953 Armistice Agreement.

The US-led UN Command agreed with Seoul. It stated that mine placement by North Korea violated the same armistice terms. South Korea has said it fires warning shots to push North Korean personnel back across the Military Demarcation Line.

North Korean forces have been building tactical roads and fences near that line in recent years. The North Korean letter described these border fortification efforts as a legitimate exercise of sovereignty under the UN Charter.

Days before the North Korean letter reached the UN, the South Korean Defence Ministry proposed military talks. The goal was to mutually confirm the precise border location to reduce the risk of accidental clashes.