Perilous Times
Dozens of N-Korean land mines wash up in South Korea
* From correspondents in Seoul
* From: AP
* August 01, 2010 5:42PM
DOZENS of land mines have washed up on South Korean shores in recent
days, apparently swept from North Korea by torrential rains.
One killed a man and wounded another, the military said.
Two men discovered two mines in wooden boxes floating in a river while
they were fishing near the border with North Korea last night,
according to an officer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
One mine exploded while they were carrying it home, killing one of the
men immediately, said the official on condition of anonymity, citing
department policy. The other man was seriously wounded and was taken to
a nearby hospital.
It was not clear if the men knew the objects they picked up were land
mines.
The officer said about 30 such mines have been swept to South Korea
since yesterday, apparently riding rapids triggered by heavy rains in
the North. The land mines can be triggered by a slight pressure, he
said.
The two Koreas are still technically at war because their 1950-53
Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. Their
250-kilometre-long border is strewn with mines.