Land mine blastsxa0inflicted casualties on North Korean troops in DMZ in recent months, South says

North Korean troops have suffered casualties from land mine explosions along the country’s border with the South. Since January, North Korean soldiers have been laying mines and setting up anti-tank barriers in the demilitarized zone (DMZ). The South Korean military is closely monitoring these activities. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have increased, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ramping up aggressive rhetoric. Trash-filled balloons launched from the North have landed in the South, and South Korea has resumed loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts. The DMZ remains heavily fortified with barbed wire, landmines, and soldiers from both sides. North Korean troops have also been removing railway rails and lamp posts along roads near the border, possibly to solidify the DMZ as an official border and strengthen internal controls. In a separate incident, South Korean troops fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers briefly crossed into the South in what appeared to be an accidental incursion.