S. Korea Accuses N. Korea of Installing Mines, Barriers Inside DMZ

South Korea accused on Thursday its North Korean neighbor of installing land mines and barriers within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas despite recent heavy downpours and mine explosions. Seoul's Defense Ministry, citing South Korean military officials, said that North Korea has deployed large numbers of troops in front-line areas to plant mines and erect walls presumed to be anti-tank barriers since April. Such activities within the DMZ have continued to be detected even after mine explosions and as seasonal rains recently battered the North. Last month, the ministry said North Korea suffered multiple troop casualties inside the DMZ due to mine explosions and heat exhaustion. Relations between the two Koreas are at their lowest point in years due to differing positions on several thorny issues, most notably Seoul's growing rapprochement with Washington on the one hand, and Pyongyang's strengthening relations with Moscow on the other. Source: Qatar News Agency