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South Korea says task force with UN Command working to align MDL since early this year
Коротко
South Korea’s military said on October 6 that it has been running a task force with the UN Command since early this year to reconcile differing Military Demarcation Line (MDL) references inside the DMZ. Defense Ministry policy planning official Woo Kyung-suk said aligning the two MDLs is not a precondition for proposing military talks with North Korea, which has not answered a ministry proposal made in November last year. The military and the UN Command are also conducting a special investigation into suspected North Korean minefields south of the MDL, after a mine explosion during a 25th Division DMZ operation.
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South Korea’s military said on October 6 that it has been operating a task force with the UN Command since early this year to reconcile the two sides’ differing Military Demarcation Line (MDL) references inside the Demilitarized Zone. Defense Ministry policy planning official Woo Kyung-suk told a regular briefing that “the MDL held by the UN Command and the South Korean military must first be aligned before anything related to North Korea can be done,” and that the Joint Chiefs of Staff has been running the task force and consulting the UN Command closely since early this year. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The problem stems from divergent references. According to the accounts given at the briefing, 1,292 markers were installed on the ground along the line drawn on military maps when the 1953 armistice was signed, but most have been lost and only about 200 are now identifiable. The South Korean military uses an MDL based on a map established in 2004 by the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, while the UN Command uses coordinates produced through its own “MDL project” in 2016, and the North Korean military is presumed to use a line based on the markers. Woo said North Korean troops have come down with maps to check after repeated warning shots, and that some have been seen wearing helmets. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
On talks with the North, the ministry proposed inter-Korean military talks on the MDL baseline issue in November last year, and North Korea has not responded. Woo said aligning the MDLs with the UN Command first would “naturally be more efficient” for any military talks with the North, but that it is not a strict precondition, and that the timing of any renewed proposal will be decided after comprehensively assessing security conditions. Defense Ministry spokesperson Jung Bit-na said the ministry’s basic position is that North Korea needs to come to the table and work out the MDL discrepancy through dialogue. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Separately, the military and the UN Command are conducting a special investigation into several suspected North Korean minefields south of the MDL. On October 5, the Joint Chiefs of Staff presented the final findings of its joint on-site investigation task force into a mine explosion during 25th Division DMZ operations and showed video of an operation to remove North Korean mines south of the MDL. The military has announced further operations to remove mines the North laid south of the MDL; according to Yonhap, those operations require the presence of the mines south of the MDL to be conclusively identified first. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
A separate difference between Seoul and the UN Command remains open: the government holds that the North’s border fortification work since 2024 breaches the armistice because it nullifies the buffer zone, while the UN Command has taken the view that activities north of the MDL are not armistice violations. Asked about criticism that the UN Command had been lukewarm, spokesperson Jung said she did not agree with that assessment and that the ministry would consult the UN Command more closely to respond to the issue. [ 2 , 3 ]
Почему это важно
The differing MDL references are cited by the South Korean military as a cause of unintended crossings and of the mine incident along the western DMZ, and the documents describe inter-Korean military talks as necessary to settle the underlying problem. A separate disagreement between Seoul and the UN Command over whether North Korea’s border fortification breaches the armistice remains open, so how far the two allies align affects how any future dialogue with Pyongyang is framed.
Ключевые факты
- Defense Ministry policy planning official Woo Kyung-suk said the Joint Chiefs of Staff has operated a task force with the UN Command since early this year to align their MDLs, speaking at a regular briefing on October 6. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The Defense Ministry proposed military talks to North Korea in November last year to discuss the MDL baseline issue; North Korea has not responded. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Woo said prior alignment with the UN Command is not a strict precondition for again proposing military talks to the North, and that timing will be decided after assessing security conditions. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Of 1,292 markers installed along the armistice line in 1953, only about 200 are currently identifiable. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The South Korean military uses an MDL based on a 2004 US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency map, while the UN Command uses coordinates from its own 2016 MDL project; North Korea is presumed to use marker lines. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The military and the UN Command are conducting a special investigation into several suspected North Korean minefields south of the MDL. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff presented final findings of its joint on-site investigation into a mine explosion during 25th Division DMZ operations on October 5 and showed video of an operation to remove North Korean mines south of the MDL. [ 1 ]
Подтверждено несколькими источниками
- The South Korean military has operated a task force with the UN Command since early this year to reconcile their MDLs, according to Defense Ministry policy planning official Woo Kyung-suk. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The Defense Ministry proposed inter-Korean military talks on the MDL baseline issue in November last year and North Korea has not responded. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- About 200 of the 1,292 armistice-line markers installed in 1953 remain identifiable, and the two militaries use different MDL references. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The military and the UN Command are jointly investigating suspected North Korean minefields south of the MDL. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Пока неясно
- Whether and when North Korea will respond to the South’s proposal for military talks. Documents say the ministry has received no response and that timing will be decided later based on an assessment of security conditions; no further detail is given.
- Whether Seoul and the UN Command will narrow their difference over whether North Korea’s border fortification since 2024 violates the armistice. The documents state the two sides hold different views and describe the question as one of interest, without reporting any outcome.
- Whether North Korean mines south of the MDL are definitively identified. Yonhap reports the presence of the mines must be conclusively identified before additional removal operations, and describes the sites as suspected.
- Criticism that the UN Command was lukewarm on the issue, which the Defense Ministry spokesperson said she did not agree with. The criticism is reported without a named source and is rejected by the ministry, leaving the assertion unverified.
Что пишут местные СМИ
Хронология, местное время
- The Defense Ministry proposes military talks to North Korea to discuss the MDL baseline issue. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff forms and operates a task force, discussing MDL alignment with the UN Command. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- On October 5, the Joint Chiefs of Staff holds a briefing at the Defense Ministry in Seoul on the final findings of its joint on-site investigation task force into a mine explosion during 25th Division DMZ operations, and shows video of an operation to remove North Korean mines south of the MDL. [ 1 ]
- On October 6, Yonhap reports that the task force with the UN Command has been running since early this year, citing the ministry’s regular briefing that day. [ 2 ]
- SBS News broadcasts the same briefing content, including Woo’s statement that alignment is not a precondition for talks with the North. [ 3 ]
- Newsis reports the briefing, including Woo’s remark that North Korean troops have come down with maps after warning shots and have been seen wearing helmets. [ 4 ]