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The second round of trilateral negotiations between South and North Korea and the UN Command concerning the demilitarization of the DMZ’s Joint Security Area (JSA) take place in Panmunjom on Oct. 22. (provided by the Ministry of National Defense)
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Meeting to focus on joint committee to implement CMA
South and North Korea are holding a tenth round of general-level military talks at Panmunjom on Oct. 26 to discuss the composition and management of an Inter-Korean Joint Military Committee to implement the military agreement (Comprehensive Military Agreement, or CMA) adopted alongside the Pyongyang Joint Declaration on Sept. 19. The CMA states that the two sides’ agreement to operate an Inter-Korean Joint Military Committee to consult on “matters including large-scale military exercises and military buildup aimed at each other, various forms of blockade, interdiction and obstruction of navigation as well as reconnaissance activities against each other,” in addition to establishing a maritime peace zone and joint fishing zone in the West (Yellow) Sea region. For the committee’s composition and management, the South Korean government plans to apply a May 1992 agreement on Inter-Korean Joint Military Committee formation and operation, it was reported on Oct. 24. At the time, South and North agreed to form a committee consisting of one vice minister-level chairperson, one deputy chairperson, and five additional members from each side. According to that agreement, meetings were to be held once a quarter as a rule, with the possibility of additional meetings to be formed by the two sides as needed. Speculations concerning N. Korea’s candidate for committee chair Vice minister of national defense Suh Choo-suk is seen as a likely candidate to serve as the committee’s South Korean chairperson. On the North Korean side, one of the vice ministers from the Ministry of People’s Armed Forces is expected to serve as chairperson. North Korea’s Ministry of People’s Armed Forces has multiple vice ministers with different roles, including first vice minister So Hong-chan. In view of the stature of the talks, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense is reportedly hoping So will serve as North Korean chairperson. But with So’s area of specialization as first vice minister bearing little connection to inter-Korean talks or military diplomacy, observers are waiting in anticipation of North Korea’s choice. As a general, So also reportedly serves as director of the General Rear Services Department, which is in charge of food, clothing, and other material supplies. Another vice minister, Lt. Gen. Kim Hyong-ryong, is in charge of military diplomacy for the ministry. Accordingly, some are predicting that Kim, who is responsible for military diplomacy as a vice minister, could participate as chairperson on the North Korean side. As it happens, So and Kim are both attending the Xiangshan Forum, a multilateral security dialogue meeting in Beijing from Oct. 24 to 26. The forum, which is being attended by senior defense officials and security experts from 67 countries in the Asia/Pacific region, Europe, and Africa, includes discussions on international security cooperation, terrorism, and the new dynamics in Northeast Asia. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense said there were no plans for their separate meeting, but the possibility cannot be ruled out. Issue of West Sea maritime peace zone and joint fishing zone as it relates to NLL Once the Inter-Korean Joint Military Committee is established, the issue of standards for determining the extent of the West Sea maritime peace zone and joint fishing zone will come up for discussion. Seoul is adamant that the Northern Limit Line (NLL) should serve as the standard, while Pyongyang is expected to continue insisting on its own security boundary line standard. Some observers fear the committee could end up adrift in the debate over the NLL. The general-level talks are also expected to assess developments in the implementation situation since the Sept. 19 military agreement was reached and a schedule for future implementation. In November, the two sides are to initiate practical measures to suspend hostile actions, including a halt to regiment-level exercises in the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) area, the application of no fly zones, and a suspension of live-fire drills and marine action exercises in buffer zone waters. Guard posts and firearms are to be withdrawn from the Joint Security Area (JSA) on both sides as of Oct. 25. By Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
