South Korea blames North for mine blasts, vows 'harsh' response
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South Korea has accused North Korea of planting landmines that maimed two soldiers on border patrol, sending military tensions on the Korean peninsula soaring as it threatened to make Pyongyang pay a "harsh price".
The Defence Ministry said it believed three landmines exploded in the incident last Tuesday, hitting a patrol in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) - a buffer zone stretching 2 kilometres on either side of the actual frontier line dividing the two Koreas.
"We are certain they were North Korean landmines planted with an intention to kill by our enemies who sneaked across the military border," ministry spokesman Kim Min-Seok said.
One soldier underwent a double leg amputation, while the other had one leg removed.
In a statement, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said its military would make North Korea "pay a harsh price proportionate for the provocation it made."
Describing the attack as a "baseless act" and "wanton violation" of non-aggression accords, the statement urged the North to apologise for the attack and punish those responsible.
The Defence Ministry declined to comment on what was meant by the term "harsh price" or to speculate on the options being considered for a response.
Analysts said the type of incident made a proportionate response difficult to gauge.
"Realistically, it's hard to see what South Korea can actually do," Dan Pinkston, Korea expert at the International Crisis Group in Seoul, said.
"It's an unacceptable breach of the armistice terms, but you don't want to escalate the situation so it spins out of control. It's very difficult," Mr Pinkston said.
origina post found herhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-10/skorea-blames-north-for-mine-blasts/6685710
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