비무장지대의 평화지대화 (Transforming the DMZ into a Peace Zone)

The Demilitarized Zone, a strip of land dividing South and North Korea, was established in 1953 according to the Korean Armistice Agreement as a buffer zone to prevent the occurrence of incidents which might lead to a resumption of hostilities As a formal Peace Treaty has not yet been signed, the two Koreas remain technically at war, and ironically the DMZ became one of the most heavily militarized regions in the world In 2017 military tension on the Korean Peninsula heightened significantly However, with the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the situation on the Korean Peninsula changed dramatically #4 27 남북정상회담 직후 문재인 대통령 기자회견 영상 “We agreed to completely cease all hostile acts against each other in every domain, including land, air and sea / The demilitarized zone, which cuts across the Korean Peninsula, will be transformed into a peace zone in the true sense” Title: Transforming the DMZ into a peace zone On September 19th 2018, the inter-Korean military agreement was adopted on the occasion of the Inter-Korean Summit Meeting held in Pyongyang In accordance with this Agreement, a myriad of effective measures have been taken to ease tensions along the border and build confidence in the military domain In particular, measures have been taken to transform the DMZ into a peace zone # First : Withdrawal of GPs Since the Armistice, there have been over 80 accidental armed conflicts between the South and North GPs, so withdrawing GPs that lie within 1 km of each other would reduce much of the military tension within the DMZ On November 10 2018, both sides withdrew troops and weapons from 11 of its GPs and destroyed 10 of the 11, leaving one GP from each side for preservation purposes On December 12, both sides conducted verification of the 11 GPs and it was the first time South and North Korean soldiers walked together within the DMZ unarmed # Second : Demilitarization of the JSA Within the DMZ, there is the Joint Security Area, the only area where South and North armed guards stand face to face A trilateral consultative body between South Korea, North Korea and the United Nations Command was established to consult and implement measures to demilitarize the JSA in Panmunjom The three parties removed the mines, withdrew GPs, personnel and firearms and withdrew unnecessary surveillance equipment from the JSA Demilitarization of the JSA will eventually allow free movement within the JSA, not only for guard duty personnel from South and North Korea, but also for visitors and tourists # Third : Recovery of Remains While the DMZ area was one of the fiercest battlegrounds during the Korean War, war remains buried in the DMZ could not be recovered for over 65 years Pursuant to the Agreement, South and North Korea agreed to launch a joint remains recovery project in Arrowhead Ridge in Cheolwon, Gangwon Province located in the DMZ It is estimated that about 200 missing Korean remains and about 100 US and French remains are buried in this area As the two Koreas agree and actually implement the Agreement in an unprecedented way, trust is gradually being built in the military area Both the South and North believe the Korean Peninsula must turn into a land of peace and trust The transformation of the DMZ is the first of many steps towards complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula /End/