Seoul Takes DMZ Mine Dispute to UN, Calls for North Korean Action

South Korea has brought its dispute with North Korea over a deadly border mine incident to the United Nations, calling on Pyongyang to apologize, halt escalatory activity and take responsible measures. North Korea rejected the allegation and accused Seoul of trying to shift blame.

South Korean Ambassador to the UN Cha Ji-hoon raised the issue Thursday during a committee meeting of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York. He said a joint on-site investigation by the South Korean military and the United Nations Command, supported by forensic analysis, had determined that North Korean forces deliberately planted the mine south of the Military Demarcation Line.

The explosion occurred on Sept. 21 near the inter-Korean border and injured three South Korean soldiers. Seoul maintains that placing the mine south of the line separating the two Koreas constituted a clear violation of the Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War. Cha urged North Korea to stop actions that could further raise tensions and respond with an apology and concrete measures.

A North Korean representative disputed Seoul’s account during the same meeting. The representative characterized the accusation as an attempt to recast North Korea’s efforts to fortify its southern border as an incursion and said South Korea was seeking to transfer responsibility for the incident.

The exchange moved an already tense bilateral dispute onto a multilateral diplomatic stage. South Korean authorities have repeatedly said that the investigation established North Korean responsibility, while Pyongyang has denied involvement. The competing statements at the UN showed that the sides remain far apart not only on what happened but also on whether the incident should be treated as an armistice violation requiring a formal response.

The two delegations also restated opposing positions on North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. Cha reaffirmed South Korea’s commitment to nuclear nonproliferation and called for Pyongyang to return to full compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

North Korea defended its nuclear arsenal as a necessary response to what it described as a decadeslong nuclear threat from the United States. That broader confrontation, combined with the unresolved mine dispute, underscored the limited room for diplomatic movement as Seoul seeks international backing for its account and Pyongyang rejects the premise of the accusation. No agreement or follow-up measure was announced at the committee meeting.