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“Republic of Korea Confirms Demolition and Disabling of North Korea’s DMZ Guard Posts”
Writer :
정책홍보담당관
Date :
2019-01-11
Hit :
383

Ministry of National Defense and Joint Chiefs of Staff announced the results of on-site inspections, assessment and analysis of 22 guard posts in DMZ


North Korea has pulled out all troops and military equipment from the GPs
The two Koreas judge that the inter-Korean military agreement has been faithfully implemented.


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It has been confirmed that the North’s DMZ guard posts (GP) were disabled completely. The South and North Korean military authorities had agreed to withdraw the GPs on a trial basis, in accordance with the Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreement.

“After on-site verification last week, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) judged that the North’s 11 GPs, subject to the withdrawal agreement, can no longer carry out any missions as military posts,” Suh Wook(lieutenant general), chief director of operations at the JCS, said on December 17th.  

On December 12th, the South and North Korean military authorities carried out on-site inspections of the withdrawal and demolition of 22 GPs, as promised. The two Koreas each sent a seven-member inspection team to check on the withdrawal and demolition of GPs at each side. “The inter-Korean on-site inspections were conducted safely and smoothly, in a spirit of good faith and friendship,” Suh said.

 

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To verify the North’s complete disabling of its GPs, the South’s team led by a colonel-level officer conducted ▲visual and direct contact inspections, ▲inspections using equipment, and ▲question-and-answer inspections. The team also shot on-site photos and videos to collect data for subsequent analysis.  

Based on the collected data, the MND and JCS conducted a strict analysis, including an integrated assessment and analysis meeting and experts’ discussion for each GP. According to the MND and JCS, the North is confirmed to have pulled out all troops and military equipment from the 11 GPs. They also judged that the North has destroyed and buried all the above-ground and underground supporting facilities.

The North gave positive on-site assessments of the South’s withdrawal of GPs. But our inspection team discovered that some crenels in the landmine field unidentified by the North were left only partially destroyed. The North’s inspection team also demanded that the South promptly remove the wreckage left from the South’s work of tearing down barbed-wire fences that used to encircle the GPs.

“The partially destroyed crenels are thought to be inoperable. Regarding the demand from the North’s inspection team, we clearly explained that our military will handle it as planned,” Suh said. “The two sides have confirmed through the on-site verification that they had faithfully implemented the pullout of GPs on a trial basis, which was stipulated in the Sept. 19 inter-Korean military agreement. Our military will support the peace process on the Korean Peninsula with militarily strong support, while maintaining a firm defense posture,” Suh added.  

 


 

By Su-Yeol, Maeng <guns13@dema.mil.kr >

<Copyright ⓒ The Korea Defense Daily, All rights reserved>


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