Lawmakers claim North Korea has laid roughly 960,000 mines on the border since 2024

Lawmakers from the parliamentary intelligence and defense committees told one outlet Assembly that North Korea has planted roughly 960,000 land mines along the inter-Korean border since 2024, part of a broader fortification effort after Kim Jong-un declared Seoul a hostile state. South Korean forces have documented a surge in barbed-wire fences, mine deployment and anti-tank obstacles along the Military Demarcation Line inside the Demilitarized Zone.

Incidents have escalated, including a September 21 explosion that wounded three South Korean soldiers, which Seoul's investigation linked to North Korean antipersonnel mines. Pyongyang rejected the accusation, accusing Seoul of fabricating evidence and warning it could restart anti-Seoul loudspeaker broadcasts and field tactical weapons. Military experts estimate that total mines in the DMZ, including those laid by the South, may exceed two million, a figure echoed by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young during a recent parliamentary audit.