With the two Koreas withdrawing firearms and soldiers from guard posts within a jointly controlled area inside the heavily fortified border region, the focus is now on when and how security guards and civilian visitors will be allowed to travel freely inside the restricted area.　The United Nations Command announced Monday that the demilitarization of the Joint Security Area was complete after the US-led organization confirmed the process along with the militaries of South Korea and North Korea.

Defense Oct. 29, 2018

PANMUNJOM, Joint Security Area -- The two Koreas’ militaries on Friday agreed to completely destroy guard posts in a front-line region by the end of November, as the two sides reiterated thier pledge to suspend all cross-border hostilities starting next month. 　At the general-level military talks held at the border village of Panmunjom, the two sides endorsed the comprehensive military agreement signed last month, in which the two Koreas’ defense chiefs agreed to cease all hostile acts on land,

Defense Oct. 26, 2018

The South Korean military has discovered what may be Korean War remains during a demining operation at a front-line region, the Ministry of National Defense said Thursday, as the two Koreas withdrew firearms and guard posts from the jointly controlled zone inside the border area.  　　The ministry said its war remains recovery agency found two sets of remains earlier this week at Arrowhead Ridge, located inside the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone. Rifles, helmets, bullets and a South Korean A

Defense Oct. 25, 2018

Controversy continues to escalate over President Moon Jae-in’s decision to approve a landmark rapprochement agreement with North Korea, with Moon’s office saying that inter-Korean deals are not subject to parliamentary approval under the Constitution. 　Following a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, President Moon ratified the agreements he made with North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, during his visit to Pyongyang last month. They include plans to implement a series of arms-control measures and inter-Korea

North Korea Oct. 24, 2018

When the Joint Security Area was established in 1953 after the Korean War ended with an armistice agreement, the 800-meter-wide area was the only place where the two Koreas’ soldiers could move freely across the border. The soldiers were allowed to cross the Military Demarcation Line and enter areas under the other side’s control. Private conversations and bartering were frequent until strictly forbidden after the horrendous ax murders of two US soldiers by North Korea in 1976. Boosted by the in

North Korea Oct. 23, 2018

The two Koreas’ senior military officers are to hold a meeting Friday at the border village inside the Demilitarized Zone, the Defense Ministry said Monday, in an effort to assess the implementation of the comprehensive military agreement signed last month. According to the Ministry of National Defense, the two Koreas’ militaries agreed to hold general-level talks at the truce village of Panmunjom. The meeting will kick off at 10 a.m. in the North Korean building Panmungak. During the meeting, t

Defense Oct. 22, 2018

The two Koreas’ militaries and the United Nations Command agreed to complete until Thursday the withdrawal of firearms and guard posts from the jointly-controlled area inside the heavily-fortified Demilitarized Zone. During the trilateral meeting held on the border village of Panmunjom, the three militaries confirmed that the two Koreas have cleared landmines near the JSA and a mountainous area inside the DMZ. The disarming JSA and demining operation were a part of a military agreement signed af

Defense Oct. 22, 2018

The suspension of a scheduled air drill between South Korean and US military forces was first proposed by the Pentagon, the Defense Ministry said Sunday, and added Seoul suggested adjusting the scope of the exercise rather than canceling it altogether. A senior official from the Ministry of National Defense told reporters that while Exercise Vigilant Ace, slated for December, would not go ahead, the South Korean military would proceed with its own unilateral exercises. The official said that Sec

Defense Oct. 21, 2018

　President Moon Jae-in returned to South Korea on Sunday from a visit to Europe aimed at rallying support for easing sanctions on North Korea amid lingering skepticism about Pyongyang’s denuclearization.　During his nine-day trip to Paris, Rome, Vatican City, Brussels and Copenhagen, Moon argued that greater engagement with North Korea could speed up the country’s abandoning of its nuclear program. 　While the possibility of Pope Francis’ visit to North Korea was heightened and Moon promoted openi

North Korea Oct. 21, 2018

　Controversy continues to grow over South Korea’s plan to establish a no-fly zone along the border with North Korea, prompting debate over the question of building trust with Pyongyang without compromising the military’s reconnaissance capabilities.  　The two Koreas’ defense chiefs agreed last month to ban aircraft flights over the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone and the surrounding area. The agreement was signed following a summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim J

North Korea Oct. 21, 2018

　Controversy has erupted over the United States military’s decision to impose extra scrutiny on South Koreans visiting US bases in Japan, prompting speculation as to the reasoning behind it. 　According to US military newspaper Stars and Stripes, US Forces Japan has recently added South Korea to a list of nations whose citizens must undergo additional screening before they can be escorted onto installations.　USFJ said the measure is a part of the routine process for reviewing its policies for thi

Defense Oct. 18, 2018

The North and South Korean militaries and the US-led United Nations Command on Tuesday held their first three-way meeting at the border village of Panmunjom to discuss measures about disarming the jointly patrolled area inside the heavily fortified border region. 　According to the Ministry of National Defense, the three militaries held a “consultation” on “working-level” issues related to demilitarizing the Joint Security Area, such as removing land mines, withdrawing firearms and guard posts an

Defense Oct. 16, 2018

  South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense on Monday denied allegations that the presidential office had instructed the military to cancel a scheduled ballistic missile test out of concern that it would hamper inter-Korean detente. 　The ministry’s spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo told reporters that while the military had changed the schedule for the flight test for a long-range, surface-to-air missile, the decision was to do with “technical issues” rather than political reasons.　“As we proceed with

Defense Oct. 15, 2018

 　President Moon Jae-in’s special adviser said Friday that South Korea should not be pushed around by the US as the allies seek to build a united front against North Korea, in a veiled criticism of President Donald Trump’s blunt remarks that South Korea can do nothing without his approval.　During a security seminar with a renowned US security expert in Seoul, Moon Chung-in said Trump should have been more careful with his choice of words instead of making “impromptu, instantaneous” remarks that

North Korea Oct. 12, 2018

The US State Department has stressed a “unified response” with South Korea in approaching North Korean denuclearization issue in a bid to soothe a diplomatic row over sanctions relief. 　South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Wednesday during a parliamentary audit that consultation was underway with the relevant ministries on lifting sanctions that were imposed by South Korea after a North Korean torpedo attack sank a South Korean Navy corvette in 2010.　She later walked back the claim,

North Korea Oct. 12, 2018