UNC not to proceed with plan for security brigade after talks with Korea: defense minister - The Korea Times

Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back responds to a press inquiry on his way to work at the defense ministry compound in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

The United Nations Command (UNC) has agreed to not proceed with its plan to establish a brigade combining its border security and armistice enforcement operations after consultations with South Korea, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Friday.

Ahn made the remark following news reports that the UNC is pushing to create a new brigade responsible for guarding the Joint Security Area (JSA) inside the border village of Panmunjom and enforcing the Armistice Agreement that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

Under the existing structure, the UNC's security battalion at Camp Bonifas in Paju, north of Seoul, guards the JSA, while the secretariat of the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, some 60 kilometers south of Seoul, handles border entry approvals and investigations into armistice violations, among other missions.

The reported UNC plan calls for consolidating these operations into one brigade, which will be led by the MAC commander.