X
Edition:
United States

  • Business
    • Business Home
    • Legal
    • Deals
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Finance
    • Autos
    • Reuters Summits
  • Markets
    • Markets Home
    • U.S. Markets
    • European Markets
    • Asian Markets
    • Global Market Data
    • Indices
    • Stocks
    • Bonds
    • Currencies
    • Comm & Energy
    • Futures
    • Funds
    • Earnings
    • Dividends
  • World
    • World Home
    • U.S.
    • Special Reports
    • Reuters Investigates
    • Euro Zone
    • Middle East
    • China
    • Japan
    • Mexico
    • Brazil
    • Africa
    • Russia
    • India
  • Politics
    • Politics Home
    • Election 2016
    • Polling Explorer
    • Just In: Election 2016
    • What Voters Want
    • Supreme Court
  • Tech
    • Technology Home
    • Science
    • Top 100 Global Innovators
    • Environment
    • Innovation
  • Commentary
    • Commentary Home
    • Podcasts
  • Breakingviews
    • Breakingviews Home
    • Breakingviews Video
  • Money
    • Money Home
    • Retirement
    • Lipper Awards
    • Analyst Research
    • Stock Screener
    • Fund Screener
  • Life
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Arts
    • Entertainment
    • Oddly Enough
    • Faithworld
  • Pictures
    • Pictures Home
    • The Wider Image
    • Photographers
    • Focus 360
  • Video
North Korea lays new landmines near border truce village: report
  • Africa
    América Latina
  • عربي
    Argentina
  • Brasil
    Canada
  • 中国
    Deutschland
  • España
    France
  • India
    Italia
  • 日本
    México
  • РОССИЯ
    United Kingdom
  • United States
World News | Tue Aug 23, 2016 6:45am EDT

North Korea lays new landmines near border truce village: report

A North Korean flag is seen on top of a tower near the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North Korea from South Korea, about 55 km (34 miles) north of Seoul, September 25, 2013.  REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won
A North Korean flag is seen on top of a tower near the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) separating North Korea from South Korea, about 55 km (34 miles) north of Seoul, September 25, 2013. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won

SEOUL North Korea has laid landmines in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, the South's Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday, as tension rose on the divided peninsula after the start of annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

North Korea, which conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and a string of rocket tests since then, regards the joint exercises as akin to war and has threatened to launch a military strike in retaliation.

North Korea had laid the mines near the DMZ "truce village" of Panmunjom, which is controlled by both of the Koreas and the U.S. military.

"North Korean's military was seen laying several landmines last week on the North's side of the Bridge of No Return," Yonhap quoted an unidentified South Korean government source as saying.

The bridge crosses over a river along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) border, near the scene of a 1976 attack by ax-wielding North Korean soldiers in which two U.S. soldiers were killed.

Yonhap said the mines were laid on the North's side of the MDL border.

The DMZ is littered with mines planted over the years but neither side is meant to lay new ones. Last year, two South Korean soldiers were wounded by what the South said were mines laid by the North. The North expressed regret for the incident, without directly admitting to planting them.

South Korea's defense ministry declined to comment on the Yonhap report of new mines saying the area was under the control of the U.N. Command.

The U.N. Command, headed by the U.S. military, which jointly supervises security in Panmunjom with the North, expressed concern about activities by the North's military but did not confirm the report about mines.

"The presence of any device or munition on or near the bridge seriously jeopardizes the safety" of people near the border, the U.N. Command said in a statement.

It declined to speculate on the reason for recent unspecified activity by the North's military.

Yonhap cited the government source as saying the mines may have been laid to prevent North Korean soldiers from defecting to the South.

On Monday, the North's military said it was prepared to launch a retaliatory strike against the South and the United States in response to the annual drills called Ulchi Freedom Guardian, in which about 25,000 U.S. troops are participating.

Tension has been inflamed in recent days by the defection of a senior North Korean diplomat to the South in an embarrassing blow to the North.

(Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Robert Birsel)

Trending Stories

    Editor's Pick

    LIVE: Election 2016

    Sponsored Topics

    Next In World News

    Exclusive: Yemen council head hails peace push, wants Saudis to 'feel pain'

    SANAA The head of a Houthi-backed ruling council pledged readiness on Monday to resume negotiations on ending Yemen's war but reserved the right to resist attacks by a Saudi-backed exiled government seeking to unseat it.

    European experts float post-Brexit 'partnership' with Britain

    BRUSSELS A senior German lawmaker, an adviser to the French prime minister and a former deputy head of the Bank of England have proposed that a post-Brexit Britain form a new "continental partnership" with the EU.

    Portugal's Guterres still leads race for U.N. chief after third ballot

    UNITED NATIONS Former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres still leads the race to become the next United Nations Secretary-General after a third U.N. Security Council secret ballot on Monday, diplomats said.

    MORE FROM REUTERS

    From Around the Web By Taboola

    Sponsored Content By Dianomi

    X
    Follow Reuters:
    • Follow Us On Twitter
    • Follow Us On Facebook
    • Follow Us On RSS
    • Follow Us On Instagram
    • Follow Us On YouTube
    • Follow Us On LinkedIn
    Subscribe: Feeds | Newsletters | Podcasts | Apps
    Reuters News Agency | Brand Attribution Guidelines | Delivery Options

    Reuters is the news and media division of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Learn more about Thomson Reuters products:

    Eikon
    Information, analytics and exclusive news on financial markets - delivered in an intuitive desktop and mobile interface
    Elektron
    Everything you need to empower your workflow and enhance your enterprise data management
    World-Check
    Screen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks
    Westlaw
    Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology
    ONESOURCE
    The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs
    CHECKPOINT
    The industry leader for online information for tax, accounting and finance professionals

    All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays.

    • Site Feedback
    • Corrections
    • Advertise With Us
    • Advertising Guidelines
    • AdChoices
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy