Military and UNC Conduct On-Site Inspection Ahead of Joint Investigation into DMZ Explosion Incident

The Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Military Armistice Commission of the United Nations Command said on the 26th that they conducted a preliminary inspection ahead of a joint onsite investigation into an explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) suspected to have been caused by a land mine. The inspection involved Deputy Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Ryu Daewon, who heads the joint investigation task force (TF), the secretary general of the Military Armistice Commission, and more than 20 operational troops. They confirmed the safety of the route of movement, the surveillance system, and communication conditions before withdrawing from the site. The Joint Chiefs said they would conduct a thorough investigation together with the UNC while ensuring the safety of service members. It also added that it would investigate the cause of the incident and explain it to the public objectively and transparently. The accident occurred on the 21st in the DMZ on the western front in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, injuring three service members in an explosion suspected to have been caused by a land mine. At the time, they were deployed for a routeclearing operation to support the UNC's onsite investigation. The type of explosive and who planted it have not yet been confirmed.