South Korea recovers landmines washed from North by floods

SEOUL: South Korean authorities have collected 15 landmines believed to have washed over into their coastal territory from the inter-Korean border on monsoon deluges, officials said on Friday (Aug 7).The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), splitting the Koreas since their 1950-53 war ended with an armistice, is one of the most heavily mined places on Earth.Some 800,000 are estimated to be buried around the area, according to military data cited by the Yonhap news agency, many from the war - but mine-laying has continued in recent years.Choi Young-ran, head of civil defence for South Korea's northwestern border country of Gwangwha, said 15 "suspected North Korean landmines" were "discovered along coastal areas". She told AFP the mines "believed to have been washed away during the monsoon season and r