He Lost His Foot to a Land Mine… Yet Proving It Was Also His Burden

1. Overview

On October 24, 2026, an exclusive YTN report revealed that retired Captain Lee Ju-eun, who lost her left foot after stepping on a landmine during a reed-clearing operation in front of the barbed-wire fence in Gimpo in 2019, was classified as having suffered a non-combat injury rather than a combat injury—even though TNT was detected in a military forensic examination. Under the current Military Personnel Management Act and its enforcement decree, injuries sustained in combat with the enemy or from hazards planted by the enemy are classified as combat injuries. In this case, however, no debris conclusively identifying the mine as a North Korean one was found, leaving the injured soldier responsible for providing further proof that it had been planted by the enemy.

After YTN began investigating the case, the Ministry of National Defense said it would draft legislation allowing soldiers injured in explosions in specially designated hazardous areas, including the DMZ, to be recognized as having suffered combat injuries. In September of the same year, three soldiers were injured in a landmine explosion in the DMZ, and former Captain Lee was also selected as a witness for the National Assembly’s Defense Committee’s comprehensive audit.

2. The 2019 landmine accident and forensic findings

According to YTN, former Captain Lee stepped on a landmine while carrying out a reed-clearing operation in front of the barbed-wire fence in Gimpo in 2019, while serving as a company commander at an outpost. She suffered a severe injury that resulted in the amputation of her left foot and spent six months receiving inpatient treatment. She testified that she heard “a beeping sound, smelled gunpowder, and my vision blacked out and then came back,” and that her condition was critical after she received a large volume of blood transfusions. A Digital Times column stated that Lee was serving as a Marine Corps second lieutenant at the time and lost her left ankle, so accounts differ slightly between outlets in their descriptions of her rank and injury.

A forensic examination by the Ministry of National Defense Investigation Headquarters found TNT on remnants of her combat boots and clothing, with no other explosive compounds detected. The military determined that the South Korean armed forces had no TNT-loaded bounding mines. It reportedly also concluded that the M16 antipersonnel mine, which uses TNT, was an air-burst mine that jumps before exploding and therefore did not fit the circumstances of Lee’s accident. Lee said she assumed the mine was North Korean because an investigator had told her, “We looked into it, and it wasn’t one of our mines.”

3. Classified as a non-combat injury rather than a combat injury

However, the review of her injury classified it as a “non-combat injury,” sustained during routine duties, rather than a “combat injury” sustained in combat with the enemy or similar circumstances. The reason given was that, although TNT had been detected, no debris conclusively identifying the mine as a North Korean one had been found, making precise identification difficult. When Lee appealed the decision, the burden of further proving that the enemy was responsible fell to her. She said that when she first requested the incident investigation report, she was told, “We can’t provide it for security reasons.”

YTN criticized this as effectively requiring an injured soldier to find landmine fragments herself. Even after two reviews by the Ministry of National Defense, Lee was not recognized as having suffered a combat injury. YTN explained that although the distinction between combat and non-combat injury comes down to a single word in Korean, it affects compensation amounts and is also a matter of honor for soldiers. A Digital Times column likewise wrote that the difference between the two classifications was vast in terms of honor, compensation, and standards of treatment. A YouTube video also reported that former Captain Lee, who lost her left foot in a landmine accident during a reed-clearing operation in front of the Gimpo barbed-wire fence in 2019, was classified as having suffered a non-combat injury rather than a combat injury.

4. National Assembly audit and the Ministry of National Defense’s response

Former Captain Lee is known as the director of the Purple Heart Secretariat. According to Popcorn News, she was selected as a witness for the National Assembly’s Defense Committee’s comprehensive audit on October 26, 2026. Lim Jong-deuk of the People Power Party requested her appearance to examine the burden of proof in the process of recognizing combat injuries and restrictions on public access to military accident investigation materials. In a YTN report, Lim said, “The state’s responsibility for investigations needs to be strengthened, and the system should be improved to ease the burden of proof on injured service members.”

After YTN began investigating the case, the Ministry of National Defense said it would draft legislation allowing soldiers injured in explosions in specially designated hazardous areas, including the DMZ, to be recognized as having suffered combat injuries. In another YTN report, the ministry said it was considering amendments to the relevant laws and enforcement decree that would allow an injury to be recognized as combat-related if it was proven that the explosive was not from the South Korean military, even if responsibility could not be clearly attributed to the enemy. A ministry official explained that it was considering revising the wording so that an injury could be classified as combat-related if it was not caused by South Korean forces, even when the party that planted the explosive was unknown. YTN noted that under the current rules, it is difficult to recognize an injury as combat-related without decisive physical evidence that it resulted from enemy action. Reports have described the ministry’s position variously as “drafting legislation” and “considering amendments”; whether the laws will actually be amended has not yet been determined.

5. Discussion in connection with the 2026 DMZ landmine accident

Lee’s case was also discussed alongside a landmine accident in the DMZ that September. According to Popcorn News, an explosion during a search operation in the DMZ under the jurisdiction of the Army’s 25th Infantry Division on September 21 injured three soldiers. On the 28th, the Joint Chiefs of Staff announced its preliminary investigation results, saying it was highly likely that the mine had been planted by North Korean forces. According to Digital Times, on the 30th, the South Korean military and the United Nations Command officially announced that the mine had been planted south of the Military Demarcation Line by North Korean forces, in violation of the Armistice Agreement.

The incident sparked political confrontation. Na Kyung-won of the People Power Party said President Lee Jae-myung “should prostrate himself and beg forgiveness,” while Son Myung-soo, a spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, countered that the opposition’s “conspiracy theories” were hindering the search for the truth. Opposition parties also introduced a resolution calling for the truth to be established regarding allegations of a cover-up and for better treatment and support for the injured soldiers. A Digital Times column cited Lee’s case and argued that attention should go beyond political fighting to address injured soldiers’ treatment, employment, and compensation. Lee herself reportedly said that treatment and employment were the most important issues for disabled veterans.

6. Authenticity debate

The central issue is who should bear the burden of proving who planted a landmine when physical evidence such as fragments is unavailable, and whether an injury can be recognized as combat-related without that proof.

6.1. The state should bear the burden of proof

Lee said that, when people are injured while serving in the military to defend the country, the state should be responsible for establishing what happened. The Investigation Headquarters’ forensic examination detected only TNT, and the military determined that South Korean forces had no TNT-loaded antipersonnel mines. Lee said an investigator had directly told her the mine was not one of their own, but the review nevertheless concluded that she had suffered a non-combat injury. She also said she was unable to obtain the incident investigation report for security reasons. YTN criticized this as effectively requiring an injured soldier to find landmine fragments herself.

This side also emphasizes that the distinction between combat and non-combat injury is not merely about the amount of compensation, but also concerns a soldier’s honor. Representative Lim Jong-deuk likewise said the system should be improved by strengthening the state’s responsibility for investigations and easing the burden of proof on injured service members.

6.2. The current criteria should be maintained

The current Military Personnel Management Act and its enforcement decree define combat injuries as including injuries sustained in combat with the enemy or caused by hazards planted by the enemy. The review classified Lee’s injury as non-combat because no debris conclusively identifying the mine as a North Korean one had been found, making precise identification difficult.

The proposed improvements being considered by the Ministry of National Defense also stipulate that an injury can be recognized as combat-related if it is proven that the explosive was not from the South Korean military.

Reports do not specify the grounds on which the results of the two reviews of Lee’s case were upheld. The scope and criteria of any proposed legislation, as well as whether it would apply to past cases already classified as non-combat injuries, have yet to be determined.

7. Trivia

• According to a Digital Times column, Lee once said, “I’m glad I was the one who got hurt. If it hadn’t been me, another comrade would have been hurt.”
• JTBC also aired a report about Lee, titled “Captain Lee, who lost her left foot in a landmine explosion: ‘If you’re injured defending the country, at least…’”