N. Korean wooden-box land mine found on border islet

SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean military said Friday that it has found a wooden-box land mine presumed to have been swept away from North Korea due to the latest heavy rains.

A South Korean Navy unit found it on an islet near the de facto western maritime border with North Korea on Thursday during its search operation for such weapons, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

In the summer, wooden-box land mines sometimes make their way south due to elevated water levels during the heavy rainy season. The North Korean military is suspected to deliberately set mines to be washed away by the torrential rains.

A bomb squad disposed of the mine, whose detonator and explosive were found to remain intact.

The military called for extra caution for nearby residents to watch out for such deadly devices.

sooyeon@yna.co.kr
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