Unification Minister Chung Dong-young referred to as it “ridiculous” that South Korean officers face restrictions when attempting to entry areas which might be underneath its sovereignty
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks at an occasion with inter-Korean relations consultants hosted by the Korea Peace Discussion board on the Korea Press Heart in Seoul on Dec. 3, 2025. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s unification minister on Wednesday criticized the UN Command for enjoying the position of gatekeeper to the DMZ, sharing that the UNC had just lately prevented a presidential official from accessing the Demilitarized Zone.
“The primary deputy director of nationwide safety was denied entry to a warfare stays excavation website at White Horse Ridge within the DMZ,” Unification Minister Chung Dong-young stated throughout a public listening to on proposed laws on the preservation and peaceable use of the DMZ.
The Protection Ministry performed an excavation operation from Oct. 15 to Nov. 28 at White Horse Ridge within the DMZ to recuperate stays of troopers killed within the Korean Battle. Kim Hyun-chong, the primary deputy director of nationwide safety who was scheduled to go to the location, was denied entry by the UNC.
The UNC at the moment requires those that want to enter the DMZ, no matter intention, to obtain permits primarily based on its jurisdiction underneath the Armistice Settlement. Denying entry to a authorities official, particularly one who’s affiliated with the army, is seen as considerably uncommon.
Concerning this incident, Chung said, “A number of years in the past, the unification minister on the time was prevented from coming into Daeseong, the one village within the DMZ. The federal government believes that we must always not hold silent on this situation.”
Chung was referring to a 2019 case, when then-Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul and his press corps tried to go to Daeseong, just for the UNC to disclaim entry to the press corps, which led to the cancellation of Kim’s go to.
“Our pleasure has been deeply wounded as a sovereign state. The truth that we face restrictions when accessing a area inside our sovereignty is ridiculous,” Chung stated. “There are numerous tasks — ecological, environmental, cultural and historic — that we should and will undertake. I sincerely hope that the laws on the preservation and peaceable use of the DMZ might be proposed and handed earlier than the top of the 12 months.”
The Unification Ministry and different authorities our bodies have criticized the UNC’s train of authority for civilian entry to the DMZ, lengthy mentioning that it lacks a enough authorized foundation. Even the Armistice Settlement, which the UNC cites as the inspiration of its authority, states that the circumstances and phrases are “meant to be purely army in character.”
Rep. Han Jeoung-ae of the Democratic Celebration and others have proposed payments stipulating particular provisions to permit entry to the DMZ for peaceable functions with the permission of the unification minister.
The UNC didn’t specify why it denied Kim’s entry to the DMZ, merely repeating generalities: “Because the imposing authority of the Armistice, UNC opinions all entry requests via established protocols to make sure security, compliance, and regional stability.”
“We encourage shut session with the Republic of Korea Authorities on any measures affecting these areas and stay dedicated to coordinated peace-building efforts in help of our shared safety targets,” it said, emphasizing how each civilian and army entry to the DMZ stays underneath its authority, because the “Armistice Settlement stays a binding framework governing each civilian and army entry to Armistice-administered areas.”
By Website positioning Younger-ji, employees reporter
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