Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected South Korea's investigation into a Sept. 21 land mine explosions near the border and denied North Korean responsibility, state media said. Kim called South Korea's investigation a “farce” and accused its military of fabricating results to justify what she described as political and military provocation against North Korea, according to a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency.
“What should not be overlooked is the fact that the armed gangsters” of South Korea are “now cooking up the groundless results and justifying their conduct,” she said.
Her response came after South Korea's military said North Korean mines were highly likely to have caused the blasts that injured three of its soldiers in the Demilitarised Zone last week. Seoul vowed to respond if a final investigation confirms Pyongyang's involvement.
There is no record of South Korean forces laying mines in the area, while evidence of North Korean mine-laying nearby was found in September 2025, Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Kwon Dae-won said earlier this week. A preliminary forensic examination found traces of TNT and brown material on the soldiers' equipment, but none of the metal fragments that would be expected from a South Korean mine.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for a swift investigation into the explosions and said necessary measures should then be taken based on the findings. Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul told lawmakers Tuesday that the blast was “clearly a violation of the Armistice Agreement,” saying responsibility lies with North Korea and Seoul will take “corresponding measures.”
Kim Jong Un's sister denied South Korean military claims that North Korean soldiers crossed the border, calling the accusations a “deliberate and planned” attempt to blame the North for heightened tensions. The denial deepens a dispute over responsibility for the explosion along one of the world's most heavily fortified frontiers.
She threatened a military response if South Korean troops fired on North Korean soldiers working on what she called a “permanent project for the southern border.” Kim said border units would conduct an “immediate and merciless” retaliatory attack in that event.
A 2015 land mines blast in the DMZ severely injured two South Korean soldiers. Seoul responded then by restarting propaganda broadcasts across the border as tensions between the two countries intensified.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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