Defense minister visits JSA, defends troops

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Wed, December 6, 2023 | 00:13

Defense minister visits JSA, defends troops

Posted : 2017-11-27 17:44

Updated : 2017-11-27 17:50

North Korean soldiers monitor the south side of the Joint Security Area (JSA) during South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo's visit to the area, Monday, for a briefing on the details of a North Korean soldier's recent defection to the South. / Joint press corps

By Joint press corps, Jun Ji-hye

South Korean and U.S. troops stationed at the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the truce village of Panmunjeom took appropriate measures when responding to a North Korean soldier's defection and gunfire from the North earlier this month, Defense Minister Song Young-moo said Monday.

Song made the remarks during his visit to the JSA, where he was briefed by U.S. Army Col. Steve Lee, secretary of the United Nations Command (UNC) Military Armistice Commission, on the details of the UNC's special investigation into the incident.

The minister also viewed the defector's route across the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in person during the visit, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

"During such a tense and dangerous situation, the respective leaders of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the U.S. JSA battalions made cool-headed judgments and took very appropriate action," Song said.

Those who accompanied Song included Lt. Gen. Thomas W. Bergeson, the UNC deputy commander, as well as members of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission from Sweden and Switzerland.

"I ask the ROK and the U.S. troops here to maintain a watertight security posture so that they can immediately respond to any situation in accordance with the UNC rules of engagement while complying with the Armistice Agreement," Song said.

The armistice, signed in July 27, 1953, brought a ceasefire to the 1950-53 Korean War.

Song then had lunch with the ROK and U.S. troops there and praised them for their service.

His visit to the JSA came two weeks after the North Korean soldier ran across the MDL inside the JSA in a bid to flee to the South, Nov. 13.

According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, around 40 gunshots were fired at the soldier from the North during the incident.

The defector was hit five times and underwent surgery twice at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province. Hospital officials said the patient's condition has since improved after he regained consciousness.

There were no South Korean and U.S. casualties.

According to the results of the UNC special investigation, released Nov. 22, the (North) Korean People's Army (KPA) violated the armistice agreement twice when its border security guards, armed with pistols and rifles, fired their weapons across the MDL after the defector had entered the South and when one KPA soldier temporarily crossed the line for a few seconds.

In addition to this, Song told reporters at the JSA that the North Korean soldiers' possession of rifles in the area was also in violation of the armistice that stipulates only pistols are allowed.

Referring to criticism that the JSA battalions' response to the incident was sluggish, Song said, "Some claimed 16 minutes was too long, but commanders deployed troops during that time and used a thermal observation device to locate the defector who was in a blind zone. They took the proper action."

Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, the UNC commander, also said last week that he assessed that the security battalions took appropriate action in response to the sudden incident, saying they acted in a manner that was consistent with the armistice.

The general said the South Korean and U.S. troops respected the Demilitarized Zone and took actions that deterred a resumption of hostilities.

"The armistice agreement was challenged, but it remains in place," Gen. Brooks said.

jjh@ktimes.com