North Korea troop ‘casualties’ reported after landmine explosions in DMZ

South Korean soldiers patrol the DMZ in a file photo. Troops from North Korea were reportedly injured after landmines exploded near the border. Photograph: Ahn Young-joon/AP

North Korea’s military has suffered “multiple casualties” after landmines exploded in the heavily armed border that separates the country from South Korea, local media reported on Tuesday.

The explosions in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) were reported just hours before the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was due to visit the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, for the first time since 2000.