World · East Asia & Pacific · 1 hr ago
North Korea accuses UN chief of siding with South Korea over border blast
North Korea accused UN chief Antonio Guterres of favouring South Korea after he urged the two Koreas to ease tensions through dialogue.
The dispute follows a September landmine blast in the Demilitarised Zone that seriously wounded several South Korean soldiers on a reconnaissance mission.
Seoul says North Korean mines caused the blast, but Pyongyang denies responsibility.
Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s sister, said Guterres had echoed what she called South Korea’s unilateral claim without properly understanding the facts.
A UN spokesperson said Guterres had encouraged the Koreas to resume dialogue, including at the military level, to prevent unintended accidents.
The UN has called for dialogue to reduce tensions, but no further steps are given.
North Korea accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of siding with South Korea after he called for the two Koreas to resume dialogue following a September mine blast.
Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, called Guterres “prejudiced and irresponsible” in a statement carried by North Korean state media.
The blast inside the Demilitarized Zone wounded three South Korean soldiers, two seriously, according to Yonhap.
A South Korean and U.N. Command investigation concluded that North Korea had deliberately planted the mines, while Pyongyang denied responsibility.
- Who
- North Korea, represented in the statement by Kim Yo-jong, criticized U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
- What
- North Korea accused Guterres of taking South Korea’s side after he called for inter-Korean dialogue following a border mine blast.
- When
- The criticism was reported on Nov. 10, 2026, after Guterres’s call the previous week.
- Where
- The blast occurred inside the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.
- Why
- Guterres urged dialogue amid concerns about rising tensions after the blast; North Korea said he echoed South Korea’s claims.
North Korea
South Korea
Responsibility for the blast
North Korea
North Korea denied responsibility and called South Korea’s findings fabricated.
South Korea
South Korea’s military and the U.N. Command concluded that North Korea had deliberately planted the mines.
Guterres’s call for dialogue
North Korea
North Korea said Guterres was prejudiced and echoed Seoul’s claims.
South Korea
Guterres called for restoring communication channels and resuming dialogue to ease tensions.
An explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone wounded three South Korean soldiers, two seriously.
A joint investigation by South Korea’s military and the U.N. Command concluded that North Korea had deliberately planted the mines.
South Korea raised the incident with the U.N. Security Council and called on Pyongyang to apologize, remove the mines and prevent a recurrence.
Guterres called for restoring communication channels between North and South Korea.
Kim Yo-jong rejected Guterres’s call and accused him of taking South Korea’s side.
- Blast date
- Sept. 21
- Location
- Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea
- South Korean soldiers wounded
- 3, including 2 seriously
- Investigation finding
- South Korea’s military and the U.N. Command said North Korea deliberately planted the mines
- North Korean statement
- Kim Yo-jong criticized Guterres on Nov. 10, 2026
3 sources
What people are saying
I express my regret over the fact that the top official of the U.N., which regards impartiality and objectivity as its lifeline, took such prejudiced and irresponsible attitude as echoing the ROK's unilateral and provocative sophism
The UN secretary-general's behaviour of echoing words of the provokers and patronising them without having proper understanding of the fact is not helpful to the detente