30 Additional Box Mines Found

The ROK military found 30 more box landmines near Ganghwa Island on Monday (2 August). 993 ROK soldiers were mobilized to additional mines or other explosives believed to have been displaced by torrential rain in the DPRK. (Photo: Yonhap)

30 additional box mines were discovered near Ganghwa Island bringing the total to 66 wooden box land mines that have turned up at the DPRK-ROK border.  On Saturday one man was killed and his fishing companion injured when a box mine they collected exploded, as they returned from fishing near the Imjin River.  ROK authorities have denied that the DPRK deliberately floated the mines as an attack, and more likely washed down during torrential rain that has affected Kaesong and the area near the inter-Korean border.  One official told Yonhap, “We will continue the search in the areas until safety is ensured because mines as well as other explosives could have washed down from North Korea due to heavy rains.”

Korea Herald reports:

The South Korean military found 30 more wooden-boxed landmines Monday on the islets near Ganghwa Island, bringing the total number of mines that appear to have drifted from North Korea over the last four days to 66.

“As of 4 p.m. we found 29 mine boxes from Gyodong islet and one from Boleum islet. Of them, six were just empty boxes,” said an official at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The military mobilized a total of 993 soldiers to search for the stray mines.

While it says it cannot verify whether the North has intentionally sent the mines to inflict damages on South Koreans, the military currently assumes that the mines drifted to the South due to the recent torrential rains.