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1. Military Confidence Building through South-North Military Talks
| South-North military talks |
From the beginning of the Lee Myung-bak Administration, North Korea has continued to take tough measures against the South as it deemed the North Korea Policy of the ROK Government hostile and offensive. For instance, North Korea defined the ROK-U.S. combined exercise (KR/FE) conducted beginning on March 9, 2008, as "war provocative schemes." Concurrently, the North cut off South-North military communications lines and restricted land crossing to the North. On March 29 of the same year, the North unilaterally notified the South that it would cease all contact and dialogue with the ROK Government and completely ban South Korean officials from crossing the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). In the meantime, an incident added to the tension between the two Koreas; a South Korean tourist was shot and killed on Mt.Kumgang by a North Korean soldier on July 11.
On October 2, 2008, the 37th South-North Military Working-Level Talks
Inter-Korean Military Confidence Building and Arms Control
3ECTION 1
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1.December 1 Restrictive Measures
· A reduction in the number of South Korean residents in the North:
restricted to 880 people in Kaesong and 100 on Mt. Kumgang.
· Suspension of railway cargo transport between Munsan and Bongdong and of the Kaesong tourism.
· Reduction of other forms of land crossing: Across the Western Corridor, nineteen crossings per day went to six crossings per day. Across the Eastern Corridor two crossings per day went to one crossing per week.
· Heightened emphasis on the order of crossing and customs clearance.
was held at the request of the North. However, the North threatened that ongoing inter-Korean exchange and cooperation projects would not SURFHHGDVSODQQHGGXHWRFLYLOLDQJURXSVÀ\LQJOHDÀHWVLQWR1RUWK.RUHD In fact, on December 1, the North took several measures to limit crossings between the South and the North; it restricted the crossing of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), suspended the Kaesong tourism, ceased the operation of the South-North railway and restricted inter-Korean land crossing.1
In 2009, North Korea continued its hard-line stance against the South.
On January 30 of the same year, a statement by a spokesperson of the
&RPPLWWHHIRUWKH3HDFHIXO5HXQL¿FDWLRQRIWKH)DWKHUODQGDQQRXQFHGWKDW it would nullify all agreements concerning the resolution of inter-Korean political and military confrontation while terminating the provision on the West Sea Military Demarcation Lines, which are contained in both the Inter-Korea Basic Agreement and the Auxiliary Agreement on Non-aggression.
In addition, North Korea took provocative actions, including the launch of a long-range missile on April 5, a second round of nuclear tests and the launch of a short-range missile on May 25, which increased the tension between WKHWZR.RUHDV$OWKRXJK1RUWK.RUHDEULHÀ\VRIWHQHGLWVVWDQFHLQ$XJXVW 2009, it staged the Daecheong Naval Campaign on November 10. After this provocation, it designated an area so-called the Maritime Firing Zone established in the West Sea on December 23.
The North’s provocative actions persisted into 2010. In January and February, it declared a "No-Sail Zone" in the West Sea and fired artillery, which led to an escalation of military tension. Meanwhile, on March 2, a South-North Military Working-Level Talks to discuss 3Cs (crossing, communications, and custom clearance) concerning the Kaesong Industrial Complex was held at the North’s request. However, on March 26, the ROK Ship Cheonan was sunk by torpedo attack of a North Korean midget submarine, resulting in a reduction in inter-Korean trade and exchanges along with the suspension of dialogues and contact between the authorities of the two Koreas.
The ROK Government urged North Korea to reveal the truth behind the
death of the South Korean tourist on Mt. Kumgang while demanding that the North give assurances that similar incidents would not occur and measures to guarantee the safety of South Korean visitors would be taken.
Nevertheless, on April 23, North Korea confiscated ROK state-owned properties in the Mt. Kumgang Tourist Region while freezing2 private property owned by South Koreans on April 27. In addition, the North SXEOLFO\FRQ¿UPHGWKHFRPSOHWHVHYHUDQFHRI6RXWK1RUWKUHODWLRQVRQHGD\
after the ROK Government announced its countermeasures against North Korea's attack on the ROKS Cheonan on May 24. In addition, North Korea
¿UHGDUWLOOHU\WRZDUGVWKHVRXWKRI1//1RUWKHUQ/LPLW/LQHLQWKH:HVW Sea on August 9, heightening military tension on the Korean Peninsula.
However, North Korea replaced its hard-line policy with a softened stance as the ROK's humanitarian assistance for the North's food victims started in mid-August. The North proposed a new round of reunion for separated families. Accordingly, inter-Korean Red Cross talks proceeded to arrange ÀRRGDLGDQGDIDPLO\UHXQLRQZKLOHWKHth South-North Military Working-Level Talks was held on September 30 at the North’s request.
At the meeting, South Korea strongly urged North Korea to acknowledge its responsibility for the sinking of the ROK Ship Cheonan; to apologize; to punish the personnel in charge; and to set up preventive measures to avoid reoccurrences. In addition, the ROK Government demanded that the North immediately put an end to its hostile acts toward South Korean maritime territories and cease slandering and defaming the ROK Government.
North Korea demanded that South Korean civilian groups cease flying OHDÀHWVLQWR1RUWK.RUHD)XUWKHUWKH\LQVLVWHGWKDW52.QDYDOYHVVHOVZHUH intruding into North Korean waters. With regard to the attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan, the North reiterated its existing position “a National Defense Commission inspection team should be dispatched for investigation.”
A military working-level talks, which resumed two years after the previous PHHWLQJLQHQGHGXSVHUYLQJDVDYHQXHIRUHDFKVLGHWRVLPSO\UHDI¿UP its position on the pending issues without yielding any agreement.
2. Real estate in the Mt. Kumgang Tourist Region confiscated or frozen by North Korea
· Confiscated: ROK Government-owned family reunion center and fire station;
the Korea Tourism Organization-owned arts performing and cultural center; a hot spring resort; and duty free shops.
· Frozen: All private properties owned by South Koreans.
The 38th South-North Military Working-Level Talks (Peace House, Sept. 30, 2010)
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Even after the military working-level talks, the North has evaded its responsibility for the ROKS Cheonan incident by announcing the so-called the ROKS Cheonan Fact Sheet and continuing its provocations against the 6RXWK2Q1RYHPEHU1RUWK.RUHDLQGLVFULPLQDWHO\¿UHGDUWLOOHU\
URXQGVDW<HRQS\HRQJ,VODQG6RXWK.RUHDFLWLQJWKH6RXWK¶VUHJXODU¿ULQJ exercise as the reason. This act of provocation directly threatened and took the lives and properties of South Korean civilians. As an illegal act, the attack LVQROHVVWKDQDGH¿QLWHYLRODWLRQRIWKH&KDUWHURIWKH8QLWHG1DWLRQVWKH Armistice Agreement and the Inter-Korean Non-Aggression Agreement.
| North Korea’s non-implementation of inter-Korean agreements and provocations against the South |
Thus far, the two Koreas have adopted a total of 12 agreements through a series of military meetings. During the process, the North has selectively implemented agreements that serve its interest, whereas it has ignored those measures GHVLJQHGWRUHOLHYHPLOLWDU\WHQVLRQDQGEXLOGPLOLWDU\FRQ¿GHQFHOn June 4, 2004, the 2nd,QWHU.RUHDQ*HQHUDO2I¿FHU/HYHO7DONV6RXWK and North adopted the Agreement on the Prevention of Accidental Naval Clashes in the West Sea, the Cessation of Propaganda Activities and the Removal of Propaganda Related Equipment from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) Areas (June 4 Agreement). In compliance with this Agreement so as to prevent any accidental armed clashes in the West Sea, South Korea maintained communications between the South and North Korean naval vessels through the International Merchant Marine Common Network. In addition, South and North Korea shared information about illegal fishing activities of third party nations, while ceasing its propaganda activities and removing all of the relevant equipment along the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) as agreed upon in the above Agreement.
North Korea, however, implemented only the issues it had raised—the removal of propaganda-related activities and equipment—while ignoring the agreement on the prevention of accidental naval clashes. Moreover, on condemning those South Korean civilian groups who had been flying OHDÀHWVLQWR1RUWK.RUHDZKLFKZDVQRWVWLSXODWHGLQWKH-XQH$JUHHPHQW the North threatened to re-examine the agreement on military assurance for
crossing at the South-North Joint Administrative Area.
From May 19, 2008, North Korea unilaterally stopped sharing information DERXWWKHLOOHJDO¿VKLQJDFWLYLWLHVRIWKLUGSDUW\QDWLRQVZKLFKZDVSDUWRI the Agreement aimed at preventing accidental armed clashes in the West Sea. In addition, since June 2008, the North has not responded to the South’s calls made through the International Merchant Marine Common Network.
Above all, the recent incidents caused by North Korea: the Daecheong Naval Campaign in November 2009; the attack against the ROK Ship Cheonan in March 2010; and the shelling on Yeonpyeong Island in November 2010 have clearly violated Article 2.2 of the June 4 Agreement.3
On May 24, 2010, in response to the North’s military provocations, the ROK Government announced a series of measures to ban the navigation of North Korean vessels into South Korean waters; to suspend inter-Korean trade and exchanges; and to refer the North’s provocation to the UN Security Council.
Along with these measures, it also demanded that the North apologize for the incident, punish those in charge, and promise to prevent the reoccurrence of similar events. The Ministry of National Defense also announced countermeasures against North Korea,4 including the resumption of anti-North Korean psychological warfare, in order to hold Pyongyang accountable, pay the price for its provocative actions and to deter further acts of provocation.
The resumption of anti-North Korean psychological warfare was a legitimate measure that sent a stern warning to the North for its obvious violations against the Armistice Agreement and several inter-Korean agreements, including, the Inter-Korean Non-aggression Agreement, and other agreements pertaining to the prevention of mutual slander and defamation.
On May 8, 2007, the North and South issued a joint press release at the 5th Inter-Korean General Officer-Level Talks. In that release, North Korea DJUHHGWRMRLQWKH6RXWKLQWKHHIIRUWVWRSUHYHQWWKHÀRRGLQJVRIWKH,PMLQ River. However, later on September 6, it initiated, without a prior notice, a discharge of the Hwanggang Dam located in the upstream of the Imjin River.
Water discharged downstream has resulted in the killing of innocent South Korean civilians. In addition, despite the agreement reached on December
3. Article 2.2, The June 4 Agreement The two Parties shall not undertake unjust physical actions against the naval and civilian vessels of the other Party.
4. The May 24 Countermeasures against North Korea
· Resumption of psychological warfare against the North
· Ban on North Korean vessels entering South Korean waters
· Implementation of ROK-U.S. combined anti-submarine exercises
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13, 2007 at the 7th,QWHU.RUHDQ*HQHUDO2I¿FHU/HYHO7DONVDQDJUHHPHQWWR provide military assurance for 3Cs (crossing, communications, and customs clearance), the North has continually ignored its obligations by frequently restricting land crossing.
| Future directions of South-North military talks |
The ROK Government has pursued consistent and principle-based North Korea policies in order to achieve mutually respectful and cooperative, sound, and normal inter-Korean relations.In future South-North military talks, the Ministry will negotiate the relevant issues in phases, beginning with agenda that can be easily agreed upon and implemented. Military assurances for inter-Korean exchanges and cooperative projects and the alleviation of military tension will occupy WKHQHJRWLDWLQJWDEOHDVWKH¿UVWSULRULW\)ROORZLQJWKLVDQGGHSHQGLQJRQ the progress made in the negotiations on the denuclearization and the peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, operational and structural arms control issues will be discussed.