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South and North Korea guard posts face each other across the DMZ near Paju

Korean Minister of Defense Song Young-moo revealed that up to ten Guard Posts (GPs) within the DMZ are set to be withdrawn according to agreement between North and South Korean military authorities.

During a National Assembly Defense Committee meeting on Aug. 21, Song was asked by lawmaker Suh Chung-won (independent), “How many GPs did the two Koreas decide to withdraw?” to which he replied “about ten.” This was to be implemented as a test, with a plan to withdraw more GPs in the future.

“We aim to start by removing one or two, then withdrawing more later,” Song added. “Both Koreans will begin by withdrawing the closest GPs one at a time, then later remove the others in multiples. The closest GP is located about 700m within the DMZ, and the ones within 1km of the border will be removed first.”

In response to a follow-up question from Suh about whether South Korea was the only party removing GPs, Song replied “Of course North Korea will do the same. Both sides will be able to verify if the other has withdrawn their GPs,” stressing that both Koreas would begin removing GPs as agreed upon.

On the issue of implementing UN Security Council resolutions on sanctions against North Korea, Song hinted that military operations were being carried out in cooperation with military authorities in the US, as well as other countries. When Saenuri Party lawmaker Baek Seung-joo asked whether it was true that “approximately ten military operations have been carried out since last November when other countries asked for South Korean cooperation,” Song acknowledged the fact, stating “It is true that we are carrying out such operations.”

However, he declined to give any specifics, adding “We promised the countries that we engaged in military operations with that such matters would be kept confidential.” On this point, an official from the military stated, “I am aware that South Korea is engaged in monitoring and information sharing with other countries on North Korean transshipments of oil that are crossing international waters near to South Korean territorial waters for the purpose of circumventing the sanctions.”

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

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