North Korea’s military has reportedly deployed anti-personnel mines near the truce village of Panmunjeom in an apparent bid to stop the escape of its soldiers to the South.

Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday quoted a government source as saying that North Korean soldiers were seen last week planting a number of mines around the so-called "Bridge of No Return,” located in the Joint Security Area(JSA).

The source added that the move appears to be aimed at preventing the escape of soldiers stationed in frontline units near the border.

This is the first time that North Korea has planted mines in the truce village since July 1953, when an armistice agreement was signed at the end of the Korean War. The armistice prohibits armed guards and the deployment of mines in both sides of Panmunjeom.
 
The UN Command is said to have strongly protested the latest move by the North, saying Pyongyang violated armistice rules.

A South Korean military official said that soldiers stationed near the border have become emotionally distraught since South Korea began loudspeaker propaganda broadcasts near the demilitarized zone.