The Demilitarized Zone close to a border space in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Nov. 18 / Yonhap
The army has internally up to date a rule in defining the inter-Korean land border when coping with incursions by North Korean troopers to forestall the chance of unintentional clashes, officers mentioned Monday.
The transfer comes as North Korean troops have repeatedly violated the Navy Demarcation Line (MDL) throughout the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the 2 Koreas since final 12 months within the strategy of finishing up development actions close to the closely fortified border.
The Joint Chiefs of Workers (JCS) mentioned it has ordered troops to prioritize markers that point out the MDL when making selections, whereas additionally “comprehensively” making use of each the MDL on the South Korean army map and a line connecting the MDL markers set out by the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC).
The transfer successfully allows the army to make use of a line drawn farther southward in assessing whether or not North Korean troops’ border crossings have occurred.
Underneath the up to date guideline, even when North Korean troops cross the road connecting the MDL indicators, the South Korean army might not reply if it assesses it’s not the MDL crossing by way of its personal army map.
Practically 1,300 markers had been put in in 1953, a month after the signing of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean Struggle, however solely about one-sixth of them are identifiable. Upkeep efforts by the UNC have been suspended because the North fired at staff conducting the job in 1973.
The JCS issued the replace in an official order distributed to subordinate items in September, spokesperson Lee Sung-jun mentioned in an everyday press briefing.
The JCS mentioned the choice, which went into impact final 12 months, is geared toward guaranteeing troops’ agency response and stopping unintentional clashes between the 2 Koreas within the occasion of a border crossing by North Korean troopers.
Lee didn’t elaborate on why the official doc was issued this 12 months, after the order had already gone into impact final 12 months.
Final month, Seoul’s protection ministry proposed holding army talks with Pyongyang on the best way to make clear the MDL, which marked South Korea’s first official proposal for talks with the North since President Lee Jae Myung took workplace in June, with a pledge to fix frayed ties with the North and create circumstances for dialogue.
The North has but to reply to the proposal.
North Korean troops have violated the land border 16 instances since March up till lately, with 10 circumstances reported in November alone.
The South Korean army has responded by broadcasting warning messages and subsequently firing warning pictures.
