The latest land mine explosion in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is drawing comparisons to a similar incident in 2015 that brought the two Koreas close to armed confrontation before ending with a rare agreement and a brief resumption of dialogue — although the political circumstances today are noticeably different. In both cases, South Korean soldiers were seriously injured by mines planted south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) near Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with Seoul concluding that North Korea was responsible. The location of the mines suggested a violation of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, as they were on South Korea’s side of the DMZ. An estimated three wooden-box mines detonated in two explosions in the 2015 incident on Aug. 4. Such mines contain few metal parts, making them difficult to detect. That incident left two South Korean noncommissioned officers severely injured — one losing both legs and the other losing part of one leg. This year, at least four mines were believed to have been at or near the site — two that exploded, one reportedly spotted by troops and