South Korea's military said Saturday it conducted a joint survey with the U.N. Command (UNC) overseeing the inter-Korean border at the site of a suspected mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to secure an access route ahead of an on-site probe into the incident. The joint survey by the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) and the UNC came as they plan to carry out an on-site investigation into Monday's explosion south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) separating the two Koreas. The blast occurred in two consecutive explosions, severely injuring a battalion commander and a staff sergeant of the 25th Infantry Division, a front-line unit on the western section of the heavily fortified border. While speculation grows that an illegally planted North Korean land mine may have caused the blast, the South Korean military faces mounting criticism, largely from opposition lawmakers accusing it of dragging its feet on the investigation to align with the Lee Jae Myung government's conciliatory policy toward Pyongyang. Dismissing the claims, the JCS has stressed that it is preparing to