South Korea Plans to Reduce Military Presence on DMZ

South Korea’s defense ministry announced plans on Tuesday to reduce its military presence on the Demilitarized Zone with North Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported.

In a briefing to the country’s National Assembly’s defense committee, the ministry said that it would push forward with a plan to reduce the number of soldiers and military equipment on a “trial basis” with the eventual aim of a “full-scale pullout.”

“To realize the transformation of the DMZ into a peace zone, as stated in the Panmunjom Declaration, (the ministry) is seeking a plan to expand the (withdrawal) program in stages after pulling out troops and equipment from the guard posts within the DMZ,” the ministry said. “Based on the spirit of the Armistice Agreement, (the ministry will also seek) to reduce the guard personnel and rearrange firearms.”

The move comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in April, where the pair agreed to transform the DMZ into a “peace zone in a genuine sense” and end hostilities between the two nations.

The ministry also announced plans to introduce a de facto maritime boundary as a “peace sea” that would allow fishermen from both countries to operate in the waters without fear of reprisal, as well as a joint program with the United States involving the excavation of those people buried in the DMZ.

South Korea has already made various efforts to reduce hostility between the two nations. In April, it took down speakers broadcasting news and Korean pop music that could be heard for miles within the North, a significant irritant to Pyongyang.

This month, President Moon said that negotiations to denuclearize the Korean peninsula remain “on track” for a successful outcome despite ongoing aggression from North Korean state media.

“No one can be optimistic about the results, but my cautious outlook is that the negotiations would be able to succeed if the North carries out a complete denuclearization, and the international community gathers efforts to provide security guarantees to the North,” Moon said following a meeting with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob.

Moon was later quoted as saying there was a “better chance than ever” that North Korea would go ahead with denuclearization, citing how they had already dismantled one of their nuclear sites while also inviting journalists into the country.

“There are mixed views but I believe the two sides have entered a normal process and that practical working-level negotiations have been launched,” he said. “There have been questions if the denuclearisation North Korea has been talking about was the same as the denuclearisation the US and South Korea have been talking about.”

“Secretary Pompeo’s North Korea visit has confirmed that there is no difference between the two on the concept of denuclearization,” he continued. “Another important point is that what North Korea is demanding from the U.S. is not the removal of sanctions or economic compensation like in the past but the termination of their hostile relationship and establishment of trust.”

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