[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] How Many Buried Landmines Are in Our Neighborhood?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Although the military authorities have been removing landmines planted over the past 23 years, it has been revealed that landmines are still scattered across the country.

The area with the highest concentration of landmines on the Korean Peninsula is the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). During the Korean War, the United Nations forces, Chinese forces, and North Korean forces competitively planted landmines along the front lines from the Imjin River to the East Coast. Even after the armistice agreement was signed in 1953, both South and North Korea planted numerous landmines in the DMZ. These were intended to block enemy attacks in case of emergency, but also aimed to prevent friendly forces from crossing into the opposing side.

According to data received by Min Hong-chul, chairman of the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly and member of the Democratic Party of Korea, from the Ministry of National Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the military has been removing landmines in areas without military utility or where civilian harm is a concern among minefields in the front and rear since 1998, removing a total of 69,531 mines from 243 locations up to this month.

However, the number of remaining landmines is still considerable. As of the end of last year, there are 35 minefields (27,000㎡) in rear areas, with an estimated 3,000 mines planted. This year, the South Korean military has removed only 45 mines in rear areas, mostly based on reports from local residents.

Among the areas currently estimated by the military authorities to have planted landmines, Yangsan-si in Gyeongsangnam-do has the highest number of mines. The military estimates that 664 mines are buried in Yangsan-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, and 343 mines in Pohang-si, Gyeongsangnam-do. Following these are Gimpo-si, Gyeonggi-do with 190 mines, Paju-si with 181 mines, and Gapyeong-gun with 114 mines.

The types and quantities of remaining landmines vary according to wartime operational plans. The M-14 anti-personnel mine is a plastic-made weapon that can take off an ankle when stepped on. The M-16 anti-personnel mine has strong destructive power and can kill people around the person who stepped on it. North Korea is known to have installed wooden box mines (PMD-57) and BBM-82 anti-personnel mines, as well as metal anti-tank mines (ATM-72) and wooden box anti-tank mines (TMD-B).

According to a 2013 review report by the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly, it was estimated that it would take about 469 years to remove all the landmines planted domestically based on the military’s current mine removal capabilities.