"Korea is also a country seriously contaminated with land mines."
Jeong Tae-seong, secretary general of the Korea Association for Mine Action Technology, said, "Not only north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) or the Civilian Control Line (CCL), but also mines around rear-area air defense bases are making normal use of the land difficult."
The land mine problem is not limited to border areas. According to data from the Ministry of National Defense and the Anti-Corruption & Civil Rights Commission, about 60,000 M14 anti-personnel mines were laid at 40 air defense bases nationwide in the 1960s to 1980s to block North Korean infiltrations.
Since then, heavy rains and other factors washed mines away, making their locations unclear, and removal operations have continued since 1998. But undetected mines still remain around some 30 air defense bases. The areas around Mount Umyeon in Seocho District, Seoul; Namhansanseong in Gwangju, Gyeonggi; and Jangsan in Haeundae District, Busan, are typical examples.
The problem is that the military conducted mine removal operations as few as twice and as many as seven times, concluded the areas were safe, yet is designating all areas around air defense bases as "mine risk zones" because the recorded number of planted mines does not match the number recovered. Jeong said, "Because the legal grounds for responsibility are unclear, the military is unable to declare 'land release.'"
Overseas, countries establish "National Mine Action Standards (NMAS)" and "Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)" tailored to their situations, and carry out land release after clearance. Korea's Mine Action Act passed the National Assembly in 2024 and has been in effect since Feb. last year, but Jeong said progress is slow in setting standards for mine action.
Jeong is a veteran who, as an Army engineer colonel in the reserves (Korea Military Academy class of 46), took part in mine removal operations for more than 10 years during military service. After retiring in Sept. 2023, Jeong joined Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) projects helping remove mines and unexploded ordnance in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Cambodia. Jeong has been with the Korea Association for Mine Action Technology since its launch in Aug. 2024. We met Jeong on the 12th. The following is a Q&A.
◇Four mine clearances at Mount Umyeon… 12 out of 1,000 not found
─Is it difficult to detect mines?
"Metal mines like anti-tank mines are not hard to find even if they are buried deep. The M14 anti-personnel mine made of is relatively hard to detect. And even if there are maps of minefields, many have gone missing over time. Mines buried close to the surface can be driven deep underground by landslides, or washed away and moved by heavy rain."
─Do you mean it is realistically difficult to find all the lost mines?
"At the Mount Umyeon air defense base area in Seoul, mine removal operations were conducted in 1999, 2000, 2012 and 2020. The reason is that the record report shows 1,000 mines were planted, but 12 were not found. Based on statistical analysis, we searched outside the perimeter fence, including valleys and areas where loss was expected, but none turned up. It is reasonable to deem the area effectively safe. Repeating detection endlessly until every mine is found is neither economical nor rational."
─Isn't the caution out of concern for a potential accident?
"Mine clearance organizations worldwide had similar concerns. So the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) introduced the concepts of 'All Reasonable Effort' and 'Tolerable Risk.'
All reasonable effort means that after carrying out procedures to clear mines in a specific area, if the expected outcome from投入 of additional resources is unreasonable, it is considered that all that can be done has been done.
Tolerable risk refers to social consensus. For example, we do not ban driving because car accidents occur. Once an area is confirmed to be safe, the land should be made available for reuse.
All of this aims to avoid投入 of unlimited resources into mine clearance and to return areas for community use through land release so residents can use them with peace of mind. Korea's existing approach to mine action differs from this."
◇"Cambodia is ahead in mine clearance… eight public-private teams at work"
─A social consensus seems necessary.
"We must first set standards. We need a system for how and how much to search, depending on the intended use of the land after mine clearance. Suppose we decide to use an area where anti-personnel mines had been planted as a walking trail. For anti-personnel mines, detecting down to about 15 centimeters is sufficient. If they are buried deeper, they will not trigger even if someone passes with full combat gear.
With no standards and unclear responsibility, searches are being repeated. In Sejongdaewang-myeon, Yeoju, Gyeonggi, three mine removal operations were conducted, but three mines remain unfound. In Daejeon-dong, Gangneung, Gangwon, four searches were conducted, but six mines were not found. Under international standards, the work would be considered complete, but in the absence of National Mine Action Standards, the military continues to manage them as unresolved. The government should establish standards and hold public hearings or briefings to build consensus."
─The Mine Action Act taking effect could be a starting line.
"The enforcement of the law is welcome. But follow-up measures are not moving quickly. I think it is due to a lack of interest. The public should be informed that minefields with no military utility should be cleared. To that end, the military necessity of each suspected mined area should be reviewed, and practical guidelines, including National Mine Action Standards, should be established and promulgated. The Ministry of National Defense formed a mine action team last year, but it has only five members. That is too few given the scope and weight of the work."
─How is Cambodia, where you served for more than a year as a mine clearance technical adviser?
"In the field of mine clearance, Cambodia is ahead of Korea. Cambodia established an authority for mine action and victim assistance to oversee mine action. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are also participating in clearance work. Eight organizations, including the military and civic groups, are conducting mine clearance in Cambodia.
With the Mine Action Act, Korea now has a legal basis for private specialized institutions to take part in mine clearance. Considering expertise and the steadily shrinking pool of conscripts, I expect there will be much for the private sector to do domestically."
─What is the purpose of launching the Korea Association for Mine Action Technology?
"We share the goal of creating an environment where future generations can live entirely free from risks such as mines, and we aim to research and develop detection and clearance technologies and to participate not only domestically but also in international development cooperation projects targeting developing countries.
Among Korean corporations, some have excellent mine detection technologies but face difficulties expanding overseas because they have not built up many references (track records). With more private-sector participation, we expect export paths to open."