South Korea has blown up some of its own guard posts within the Demilitarized Zone as part of efforts to implement an inter-Korean military agreement.
The Ministry of National Defense said on Thursday that although it is using excavators to destroy many of the DMZ guard posts, considering concerns about safety and environmental protection, some posts located on hillsides had to be destroyed using explosives.
The ministry also unveiled photos that were taken last Sunday showing how the North Koreans were destroying their own guard posts.
The photos featured North Korean soldiers demolishing the military structure using large-sized hammers. Â [KBS Global]
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Yong-woo (C) inspects the destruction of a South Korean guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas at the central section of the inter-Korean border in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, on Nov. 12, 2018, in this photo released by the Army. Ministry officials said South and North Korea have each withdrawn troops and firearms from 11 guard posts as of Nov. 10 for their complete demolition, one of the inter-Korean military agreements aimed at easing cross-border tensions. (Yonhap)
At least it is not a white flag flying over South Korean guard posts (sorry I couldn’t resist 😉 ):
These photos provided by the defense ministry show yellow flags at guard posts on the South and North Korean sides of the border. (Yonhap)
South and North Korea raised yellow flags at 11 guard posts each along their heavily fortified border on Sunday in a first step toward dismantling the posts under a military agreement reached as part of September’s summit.
The two sides hoisted the 4-meter by 3-meter flag at each of the 22 guard posts as a mark to indicate that the posts are to be dismantled, according to defense ministry officials.
“This is aimed at enabling each side to observe the progress in dismantlement work so that it can be carried out in a transparent manner,” a ministry official said.
The two sides reached the agreement to pull back the guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone “on a trial basis” as part of the third inter-Korean summit held in September. It’s a key part of the efforts to turn the buffer zone into a “peace zone.” Â [Yonhap]
The darker blue "peace zone"–no armed ships, no military exercise, no large weapons use. People /Marines on islands isolated, not allowed to defend. Han River estuary, historically an invasion route, to be joint use/patrol, wide open for #NorthKorea to enter Seoul. https://t.co/3pBZ3je8x7
It will be interesting to see how the US reacts to this:
The two Koreas and the United Nations Command (UNC) discussed disarmament of the Joint Security Area (JSA) Tuesday amid expectations for unarmed soldiers to “guard” the inter-Korean border area in a near future.
“The three-way consultation body had negotiation on measures on having a weapons-free JSA, including the withdrawal of firearms and guard posts,” according to the Ministry of National Defense.
Army Colonel Cho Yong-geun headed the South’s three-member delegation, with the North led by Colonel Om Chang-nam, according to the ministry. United States Army Colonel Burke Hamilton also represented the UNC for the hours-long discussions.
The trilateral meeting is aimed at finalizing details to realize complete disarmament at the JSA. The two Koreas reached a consensus over the plan by signing a joint military agreement during an inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang last month. Â [Korea Times]
You can read more at the link, but I would not be surprised if this just gets slow rolled because who wants to put faith in the North Koreans complying with this agreement?
One way the US could respond is that they will disarm the JSA if the North Koreans agree to withdraw their artillery 50 kilometers north of the DMZ.
3 key invasion routes fm #NorthKorea to #SouthKorea: Cheolwon, Gaesong-Munsan (near JSA) & east coast (in Gangwon Prov) approaches. "Remains recovery" is a cover. If they really felt it priority, NK could return 500 still living SK POWs. Instead, invasion routes are clearing. https://t.co/mttjKYJCZS
South Korean troops begin work to remove land mines at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) near Chorwon, Gangwon Province, on Oct. 2, 2018. (Joint Press Corps-Yonhap)
It looks like the Moon administration continues to work around the sanctions on the North Koreans:
South Korea will seek to launch joint on-site inspections of cross-border railways with North Korea next month as part of efforts to reconnect the railways, as called for in last week’s inter-Korean summit agreement, the presidential spokesman said Friday.
The decision was made at a meeting of the committee formed to discuss measures to carry out the Pyongyang Declaration reached in the third summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang last week.
The agreement calls for breaking ground before the end of the year toward reconnecting two sets of cross-border roads and railways. One of them, called the Seohae Line, runs through the western section of the border and the other, called the Donghae Line, runs through the eastern section. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but I wonder if the United Nations Command has blessed off on this yet? Â Despite all the concessions the Moon administration has made to the Kim regime, I have yet to read or see any report that the North Koreans have removed one piece of artillery or troop formation away from the DMZ.
He spent 3 years as a forward observer for artillery. He says withdrawing the GPs don't just get rid of guards, but also forward observers at the GPs. Thus, he says, it'll render artillery further back useless. https://t.co/y2qtqUDsiI
If the ROK is removing landmines which are part of their defenses along the DMZ, shouldn’t the North Koreans do something in return like withdraw large parts of their military away from the DMZ?:
South and North Korea will begin to implement the inter-Korean military accord signed during last week’s summit between their leaders in Pyongyang.
The two Koreas plan to remove mines and explosives in the Demilitarized Zone area located near Cherwon, Gangwon Province for two months from October first.
The removal is part of preparations for a joint excavation of remains of about 300 soldiers killed during the Korean War, including those of United Nations forces.
The two Koreas will also remove mines around the truce village of Panmunjeom from October first to 20th as part of a plan to disarm the troops in the Joint Security Area in the DMZ. Â [KBS World Radio]
