South Korea Blames North Korean Mines for DMZ Blasts That Injured 3 Officers

South Korea's military said on Monday that explosions which wounded three of its officers last week inside the Demilitarized Zone were probably caused by mines laid by North Korea.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff issued the preliminary assessment after carrying out an inspection of the site together with the U.S.-led United Nations Command.

The finding, if confirmed, is likely to add to already elevated tensions between the two Koreas. Ties have worsened sharply in recent years as North Korea has accelerated its nuclear weapons programme and U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at ending the nuclear standoff has stalled.

The three South Korean military officers were hurt in two explosions that occurred in quick succession on Sept. 21. At the time, they were working to establish a patrol route near the military demarcation line in the western section of the Demilitarized Zone.

Officials in the South had initially indicated that the blasts appeared to have been set off by mines, but stopped short of attributing them to North Korea.

The Demilitarized Zone, a buffer strip running across the peninsula, remains one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world.