North Korean soldiers move along a fence line near Yujeong-dong village in Kaepung County, North Korea, as seen from the Ganghwa Peace Observatory in Incheon, Jan. 8, 2024. Korea Times photo by Wang Tae-seog
The South Korean government and the United Nations Command (UNC) are giving conflicting accounts of North Korea’s recent move to intensify border fencing, with South Korea viewing the activity as a violation of the armistice agreement and the UNC disputing the framing.
It is the second dispute in recent months between the two over border issues, with a previous disagreement taking place over authority to grant approval for nonmilitary access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
The UNC on Wednesday publicly challenged South Korea’s assessment in a fact sheet on its website. The fact sheet came after a report that North Korea installed barbed wire fences just 80 meters from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
The South Korean defense ministry said Monday that the activity is “in clear violation of the armistice agreement,” which halted the 1950-53 Korean War. The MDL separates the two Koreas and the DMZ is a buffer zone extending 2 kilometers on either side of the MDL to restrict troops and heavy weapons.
