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South Korean Minister of National Defense Song Young-moo answers inquiries during a general meeting for the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee on July 24. (Yonhap News)
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Measure part of effort to honor Apr. 27 Panmunjeom Declaration
The South Korean Ministry of National Defense is pursuing a test withdrawal plan for guard post troops and equipment within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as part of an effort to honor the agreement reached between the South and North Korean leaders in their Panmunjeom Declaration on Apr. 27. An issue report by the ministry on July 24 for the National Assembly’s National Defense Committee included a “future pursuit plan for talks by inter-Korean military authorities,” which mentioned “conducting a test withdrawal of troops and equipment at guard posts (GP) within the DMZ as a practical step toward conversion of the DMZ into a peace zone, with a subsequent phased-in expansion.” In their Panmunjeom Declaration following an Apr. 27 inter-Korean summit, the South and North Korean leaders agreed to “transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone in a genuine sense.” Following an initial GP test withdrawal, the ministry plans to pursue a complete withdrawal in the future in conjunction with historical site and ecosystem surveys. The ministry also plans to pursue demilitarization of the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjeom. “Based on the spirit of the armistice agreement, we plan to reduce the number of security personnel, adjust the presence of firearms, and restore free transit,” the ministry said. The South and North Korea guard posts within the DMZ are reported to be currently equipped with machine guns and other heavy firearms. Plans for joint excavation of POW/MIA remains in DMZ The ministry further presented plans for the joint excavation of remains within the DMZ by South and North Korea and the US as a measure to implement the Panmunjeom Declaration and North Korea-US summit Joint Statement simultaneously. It also plans to consider South Korean participation as needed in North Korea and the US’s excavations of remains in North Korea. In their Joint Statement on June 12, the North Korean and US leaders agreed to excavate the remains of POWs and MIAs from the Korean War and repatriate remains that have already been found; a subsequent agreement to resume excavations in North Korea was reached at follow-up talks on July 15–16. Based on the Panmunjeom Declaration, the Ministry of National Defense further announced plans for a halt to hostile activities between South and North Korea on the West Sea and a phased-in designation of a “maritime peace zone” around the West Sea Northern Limit Line (NLL). It also plans to pursue the designation of joint fishing zones in connection to future benefits for South and North Korean fishermen. By Noh Ji-won, staff reporter Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
