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General Robert B. Abrams during a Senate hearing to vet his new position as commander of the USFK and UNC on Sept. 25. (AP)

In response to concerns about discord in South Korea-US relations due to military agreements between North and South Korea, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) hit back on Sept. 27, reaffirming that “South Korea is in close consultation with the US.”

The agreement to prevent accidental clashes between the two Koreas abruptly led to speculation of conflict between South Korea and the US, and this appears to be due to the ambiguous attitude of US authorities combined with exaggerated reports from some conservative media outlets.

The incident that directly triggered speculation was remarks made on Sept. 25 by General Robert B. Abrams, who is nominated to become the new commander of US Forces Korea (USFK) and United Nations Command (UNC). During a Senate hearing to vet his position, Abrams stated, “All activities in the DMZ are under the jurisdiction of the UN Command, so the removal of GPs (Guard Posts) would have to be approved by the UN Command,” stressing the fact that the UNC retains jurisdiction over the DMZ as a signatory to the Armistice Agreement of July 1953.

Some Korea’s conservative media outlets reported that this statement represented a challenge to the inter-Korean agreement to remove 11 GPs within the DMZ, raising the possibility of disharmony between South Korea and the US.

However, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense was quick to quell such concerns. Upon learning of Abrams’ statement on Sept. 26, the ministry sent a text message to the press corps covering the MND saying, “The entire process of reaching the military agreement was conducted in close consultation with the UN Command.”

Following this, Defense Ministry Spokesperson Choi Hyun-soo added, “While the new Minister of National Defense [Jeong Gyeong-du] was receiving a briefing on Sept. 24 about the demilitarization of the Panmunjom JSA, Lt. Gen Wayne D. Eyre of the Combined Forces Command was present and made it clear that ‘the US agrees with the inter-Korean military agreement and will provide full support,’” even specifying the details of the conversation.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen whether speculation about South Korean-US discord will quickly subside, as the official position of US authorities on the inter-Korean military agreement remains unclear. In response to a request from RFA for a statement on the inter-Korean agreement, US Department of Defense Spokesperson Christopher Logan declined to clearly address the issue, stating, “I’m not going to comment on any specific items in the agreement or speculate on what will happen.”

While the US has no reason to oppose an agreement aimed at preventing accidental military clashes, this reflects the contradictory attitude of the Department of Defense, which is more concerned with its own military interests.

The military agreement mixes areas which are unrelated to the US armed forces or the UN Command with other items that require cooperation, agreement or prior consultation with the US armed forces (the UN Command). For example, some matters, including pulling GPs from within the DMZ, are effectively carrying out the provisions in the Armistice Agreement, and accordingly do not require agreement from the UN Command.

On the other hand, forming a consultative body that consists of both Koreas and the UN Command for the purposes of demilitarizing the Panmunjom JSA would be impossible without agreement from the UN Command. The fact that the formation of a trilateral consultative body was included in the agreement is evidence that such confirmation had already been obtained from the UN Command. This demonstrates that speculation about South Korea-US discord is likely to have been exaggerated.

Furthermore, matters such as expanding the no-fly zone near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) would require prior or at least subsequent approval from the USFK.

“The fundamental goal of the inter-Korean military agreement is preventing accidental military clashes and easing tensions,” said a senior official from the MND. “This is identical to what the US is seeking. This issue was discussed with the US prior to the inter-Korean agreement, and we will continue to consult with the US to implement its provisions.”

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

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