Halting hostile activity between South and North Korea a key feature of Panmunjeom Declaration

Posted on : 2018-04-28 15:47 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The two sides also will work toward improving inter-Korean exchange and taking steps toward disarmament
President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in Panmunjeom on Apr. 27. (Photo Pool)
President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their summit in Panmunjeom on Apr. 27. (Photo Pool)

In the Panmunjeom Declaration released on Apr. 27, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un affirmed that they would work together to ease inter-Korean tensions in military affairs by completely halting all hostile activity, setting up “waters of peace” around the Northern Limit Line (NLL), providing a military guarantee for inter-Korean exchange and taking gradual steps toward disarmament.

First, the two leaders promised “to completely cease all hostile acts against each other in every domain, including land, air and sea, that are the source of military tension and conflict.” With some cosmetic changes, language about the cessation of hostile acts between South and North Korea has appeared in nearly every major inter-Korean agreement since the July 4 Joint Statement in 1972 (the first inter-Korean agreement), including the Inter-Korean Basic Agreement in Dec. 1991 and the Oct. 4 Summit Statement in 2007. Even so, the fact that the two leaders reconfirmed the principle of the cessation of hostile acts appears to express the political will to properly implement previous agreements.

More specifically, South and North Korea decided to halt broadcasts at the DMZ (demilitarized zone), remove the loudspeakers used for broadcasting and stop disseminating fliers as of May 1. In connection with this, South Korea’s Defense Ministry already ended its propaganda broadcasts on Apr. 23, and North Korea reportedly followed suit.

The loudspeaker broadcasts to North Korea began around the armistice line on the West Sea in May 1963 and have continued intermittently until now, depending on the level of military tensions between South and North Korea. As part of this agreement, South and North Korea are likely to take steps to remove the loudspeakers that are installed around the armistice line.

South and North Korea also agreed to work toward turning the DMZ into an area of peace. This idea came into view when Im Jong-seok, the Blue House chief of staff and chair of the summit preparatory committee, expressed “interest in turning the DMZ into a place of peace” on Apr. 17. During a meeting of the Gwanhun Club for senior journalists on Apr. 18, former Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok proposed the removal of military outposts in the DMZ and said it was “necessary to discuss having the DMZ, which is based in the armistice agreement, restored to its original condition.”

The withdrawal of guard posts (GPs) and heavy weaponry within the DMZ had reportedly been suggested during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, but failed to come to pass after North Korea refused. It was not immediately confirmed whether North Korea’s latest agreement extended to GP or heavy weapon withdrawals. But if the two sides do go ahead with such a withdrawal from the DMZ, it is expected to contribute greatly in practical terms to easing military tensions between them.

“An agreement [on GPs and heavy weapon withdrawals] isn’t going to be easy, with South and North differing on what they see ‘GP’ as referring to,” a military official said.

But the same official noted, “South and North have the experience of creating a road by turning the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) at the East Sea and West Sea railway lines into a mine-free, troop-free, weapon-free zone.”

“It wouldn’t be out of the question for them to parlay that experience into some step-by-step approach tailored to the situation,” the official suggested.

Private sector exchanges and inter-Korean cooperation measures adopted

The two sides also agreed to adopt military guarantee measures based on mutual cooperation, exchanges, visits, and contacts. The measures are intended to provide support for private sector exchanges and cooperation between them.

“The fact that North Korean and South Korean visitors were able to go back and forth over the Gyeongui railway line land route and the East Sea route without any major issues during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February is proof that there are no major issues with military guarantees on normal transit between South and North,” a military official explained.

But the South Korean administration is hoping that the agreement will translate into “momentum for areas of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation agreed upon in the past but not advanced because of a lack of military guarantee measures – especially joint cooperative efforts in the border region such as wildfire extinguishing, flood prevention, and joint containment of infectious diseases.”

The two sides also agreed to hold “frequent talks between military officials, including Ministers of Defense,” with initial general-level talks to take place in May. The talks are intended as a follow-up measure to practically address military issues between South and North. Indeed, the two previous summits in June 2000 and Oct. 2007 were followed by defense minister talks to discuss ideas for easing military tensions between the two sides.

One difference from the past is that the follow-up military talks to be held after the summit were not specified as defense minister talks. Future talks between the South Korean Minister of National Defense and North Korean Minister of People’s Armed Forces are expected to be pursued based on the outcome of the May military general-level talks.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walk hand-in-hand back to the southern side of the Panmunjeom Joint Security Area after they had briefly crossed into the northern side following their first meeting on Apr. 27. (by Kim Kyung-ho
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un walk hand-in-hand back to the southern side of the Panmunjeom Joint Security Area after they had briefly crossed into the northern side following their first meeting on Apr. 27. (by Kim Kyung-ho

Disarmament to be pursued on a gradual, phased basis

The two leaders further agreed to pursue disarmament on a step-by-step basis. “South and North Korea agreed to carry out disarmament in a phased manner, as military tension is alleviated and substantial progress is made in military confidence-building,” they said in their declaration. Explanatory materials provided by the inter-Korean summit preparation committee described the disarmament matter as “an issue agreed upon by South and North in their Inter-Korean Basic Agreement, with two leaders reaffirming their agenda for relieving military tensions and building trust through this summit.”

Article 12 of the Basic Agreement, which was adopted in Dec. 1991, states that South and North Korea “shall discuss and carry out steps to build military confidence and realize arms reduction, including . . . phased reductions in armaments . . . and verifications thereof.”

But with the disarmament issue representing a complex matter that extends beyond inter-Korean relations to involve the North Korean nuclear program, establishment of a Korean Peninsula peace regime, and US Force Korea, it appears unlikely to be achieved in a short period of time.

“We will discuss the disarmament issue step by step going ahead in conjunction with the peace regime establishment process,” a South Korean government official said.

“During this process, we will take steps to ensure no security issues arise, and the government will maintain a robust security to avoid such concerns,” the official added.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

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