Photo : YONHAP News
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has refuted claims by the United Nations Command(UNC) that ruling party-led bills giving South Korea authority over nonmilitary access to the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) violate the Korean Armistice Agreement.
Chung told reporters Thursday that the so-called DMZ bills being pursued by the Democratic Party(DP) stipulate that Seoul must consult with the UNC in advance and therefore are not at odds with the armistice.
An official at the ministry, who also spoke to the press, said the bills respect the UNC’s jurisdiction over the military buffer zone, when asked about restricting the U.S.-led multinational command’s authority.
The official added that discussion on the bills should focus on mutually respecting South Korea’s territorial sovereignty and the UNC’s jurisdiction over the DMZ.
This comes after a UNC official said on Wednesday that the bills are “completely at odds” with the armistice agreement and that the military command has jurisdiction over the buffer zone south of the Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas.