Contamination

The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), separating the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and North Korea, and the Civilian Control Zone (CCZ) immediately adjoining the southern boundary of the DMZ remain among the most heavily mined areas in the world due to extensive mine-laying during the Korean War and in the 1960s, in 1978, and in 1988. In May 2006, South Korea indicated that about 970,000 mines were emplaced in the southern part of the DMZ, about 30,000 mines in the CCZ, and about 8,000 mines in 25 military sites that cover an area of about 3km² in the northern parts of Gyeonggi-do and Gangwon provinces, below the CCZ.[1]

South Korea has had to contend periodically with wooden box mines carried by flood water from North Korea during the rainy season. The armed forces’ Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in July 2014 the military had found 258 North Korean mines in the preceding four years.[2]

A report by the National Defense Committee in 2010 said South Korea had about 1,100 “planned” mined areas covering 20km² and some 209 unconfirmed or suspected mined areas covering 97.82km².[3]

South Korea is also contaminated with explosive remnants of war (ERW).

Program Management

There is no national mine action authority or mine action center in South Korea. Demining is conducted by the South Korean army, which has undertaken limited clearance of the DMZ and CCZ and has concentrated mostly on demining military bases in rear areas.

In November 2013, the Ministry of Defense said it had submitted a bill on mines to parliament to allow civilian organizations to remove mines laid during the Korean War in order to facilitate ongoing military clearance. “The bill is aimed at making legal grounds and a process to allow both the military and civilians to remove mines so as to protect lives and the property of people,” the ministry said in a press release.[4] As of April 2015, South Korea’s National Assembly had not passed the bill.

Land Release 

In its latest Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) Amended Protocol II Article 13 transparency report submitted in March 2014, South Korea said army deminers had cleared 90,780m² in 2013, removing “approximately 431 mines.” It said 341 military servicemen had participated in the program costing more than US$1 million.[5] 

The JCS reported military deminers cleared 433 mines in 2014 from coastal areas and land close to the border with North Korea, of which 312 were antivehicle mines and 221 antipersonnel mines. The JCS said in a statement, “We will continue the operations to spot and remove mines near the border regions and major military bases in phases.”[6]