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South Korea is seeking to formally declare North Korea’s recent activities along the heavily fortified border as violations of the Armistice Agreement after a joint investigation concluded that North Korean mines caused a Sept. 21 explosion that wounded three South Korean soldiers.
The move follows an investigation conducted with the U.N. Command into North Korean activities around the Military Demarcation Line, or MDL, Yonhap News Agency reported Wednesday, citing South Korea’s Defense Ministry.
Seoul concluded that land mines deliberately planted by North Korea on the South Korean side of the MDL caused the blast, which wounded three soldiers, two of them seriously.
“Following a joint investigation with the UNC into North Korea’s MDL incursions, we plan to formalize its armistice violations,” the ministry said in a document submitted to lawmakers.
South Korea also plans to pursue inter-Korean military talks aimed at preventing accidental clashes along the border.
The proposed talks would also seek to reopen communication hotlines and address differences over the location of the Military Demarcation Line.
The border dispute intensified following last month’s explosion, with Seoul accusing Pyongyang of deliberately planting two mines inside the Demilitarized Zone.
South Korea has demanded an apology from North Korea and the removal of mines it says violate the armistice agreement.
North Korea on Tuesday rejected Seoul’s accusation, calling it “blame shifting” and accusing South Korea of portraying its border fortification activities as a “military invasion.”
According to North Korean state-owned news agency KCNA, Pyongyang said Seoul was attempting to shift responsibility for “its own accident.”
North Korea issued the response after South Korea demanded an apology and the removal of the mines.
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