A delegation from South Korea’s National Assembly visits the Joint Security Area of the Demilitarized Zone on Nov. 19, 2025. (Brendan Trembath/U.N. Command)
CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — The United Nations Command has raised objections to proposed South Korean legislation that would allow non-military access to the Demilitarized Zone, warning it could undermine the armistice that has preserved peace with North Korea, according to local media.
The bill, proposed Aug. 29, promotes the peaceful use of the DMZ, a heavily fortified strip of land about 2 ½ miles wide and 160 miles long separating North and South Korea.
However, the UNC views the proposal as a potential violation of the 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War, a U.N. official said, according to a Wednesday report by Yonhap News Agency.
“If the legislation passes, it squarely contradicts the armistice agreement, and it would mean that the South Korean government has removed itself from the agreement, and is no longer bound by it,” the unnamed official said at a briefing Monday, Yonhap reported.
A spokesman for the U.N. Command on Thursday confirmed the Yonhap account and said the official spoke on background during a briefing for South Korean media.
“If something happens in the DMZ that leads to another outbreak of war, the UNC commander will be held accountable, not the South Korean president,” the UNC official said, according to Yonhap.
The official added that such incidents could raise concerns not only for South Korea and the UNC but also for other parties involved.
The command has jurisdiction over the southern half of the DMZ as a military body while recognizing South Korea’s sovereignty, the official said, according to Yonhap.
South Korea’s unification minister, Jung Dong-young, told lawmakers Wednesday that the government is discussing the proposed legislation with the UNC. Speaking at a meeting of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Jung said the Ministry of Unification supports the bill’s intent.
Jung visited the DMZ on Jan. 21, according to the ministry.
The ministry also hopes to restart tours along the DMZ Peace Trail in the border cities of Goseong, Paju and Cheorwon, a spokesman said Wednesday during a media briefing in Seoul.
Officials plan to consult with the UNC before resuming the tours, the spokesman said. Some South Korean government officials must speak to the media on condition of anonymity.
The Peace Trail program has been suspended since U.S. Army Pvt. Travis King crossed into North Korea from the DMZ’s Joint Security Area on July 18, 2023.