A tourist identified as Kang stepped on an explosive device suspected of being a landmine on Yeoungddeul Beach in Ganghwa Island on Friday afternoon, sustaining a serious injury to his ankle.

A friend, who gave his name as Hwang, told the Marine Corps and police they were part of a group of six people who went on an excursion to the island. Suddenly, there was blast, and Kang screamed and collapsed, Hwang said.

Kang is receiving treatment for a severe injury to his left ankle. The Marine Corps and police collected the fragments of the explosive device and asked the National Institute of Scientific Investigation to analyze them. Police said that what the explosive was will be known once the results come out. The Marine Corps says no landmines were ever planted in the region, and landmines planted in northern Gyeonggi Province or Gangwon province may have been washed down there by floods along the Han River.

In September and October 2000, landmines in Hari Ferry and Seokmo Island, Ganghwa County cost two men a foot. The accident sites are not a military-controlled region and open to the public.