Two Koreas on rapid military reconciliation

A South Korean guard post in the border country of Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, is demolished, Thursday. The two Koreas will destroy 10 guard posts near the border area on each side by the end of this month. / Joint Press Corps

Expectations rise for inter-Korean air routes

By Lee Min-hyung

The two Koreas are on a rapid track to disarm fortifications on land border areas and ease military tension by taking concrete steps to realize their common goal of building peace on land, sea and in the air.

The latest in a series of inter-Korean tension-easing and trust-building steps came Friday when the two Koreas held a working-level dialogue to discuss launching air routes on their eastern and western coasts.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, North Korea offered to open international air routes on either coastal areas of the Korean Peninsula, which would allow aircraft from here and abroad to use the routes without restrictions.

The land ministry plans to hold discussions with the defense and foreign ministries to decide whether to accept the North's proposal.

The military views adding coastal air routes will not pose any significant security threat to South Korea.

"The point is whether the two Koreas can open air routes above the military demarcation line (MDL)," said a military official. The MDL separates the two Koreas on land.

"Firearms and troops from the two Koreas are mostly deployed there, so aircraft have not been allowed to fly above the MDL due to security reasons," the official said.

If the two Koreas reach an agreement to open flight routes that cross the MDL, it will further speed up inter-Korean tension-easing, according to him.

"This is because such flights over the border will prove that both sides trust each other implicitly," he said.

But as such a dialogue is in its infancy, it will take time for the two Koreas to realize such a scenario.

They are also in talks to open new international air routes above the eastern and western seas of the two Koreas.

Seen above is a photo of North Korean officials destroying a guard post near the inter-Korean border area, Nov. 11. / Courtesy of Ministry of National Defense

On land, both Koreas started demolishing guard posts in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) Thursday.

Under a recent military agreement, Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to dismantle 10 out of 11 guard posts on each side of the border area by the end of this month, as part of steps to relieve armed confrontation near the DMZ.

After both sides finish the destruction of the guard posts, their militaries will carry out bilateral verification next month to double-check whether the facilities are completely demolished, according to defense sources here.

It has been only a few months since Seoul and Pyongyang started on a reconciliatory path. Starting this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un pledged to stop any military provocations against the South and completely denuclearize the peninsula.

President Moon Jae-in has since held three inter-Korean summits with Kim to discuss detailed plans to realize this goal. This September, leaders of the two Koreas adopted a joint military agreement under which they reached a consensus centering on ways to prevent possible provocations.

Under the Comprehensive Military Agreement, they also came to terms for establishing a so-called "inter-Korean peace zone" in the West Sea. The agreement came as part of joint efforts to prevent possible maritime provocations at sea.

The area is commonly called the northern limit line (NLL) here, and the North occasionally staged naval provocations against South Korean ships. One of the worst-ever inter-Koran conflicts also erupted there in March 2010 when the North torpedoed the South Korean frigate of Cheonan near the NLL. This left 46 sailors dead.

For this reason, the two Koreas agreed to take specific steps to relieve tensions there. As of Nov. 1, South and North Korean marine bases near the area have closed down gun ports and stopped artillery drills.

Jumping on the rare peace atmosphere on the peninsula, South Korea and the United States have cancelled a series of large-scale annual joint exercises. This August, the allies decided to suspend the Ulchi Freedom Guardian drill.

Seoul and Washington also planned to carry out their annual Vigilant Ace air drill in December, but decided not to conduct the exercise in consideration of the reconciliatory mood.

South Korea-U.S. joint exercises have long been a source of anger in the North, with the regime continuously criticizing them.

The suspension of joint drills has raised concerns of a possible security hole against possible provocations by Pyongyang.

Against the backdrop, the allies resumed the Korea Marine Exercise Program (KMEP), an annual joint marine drill, for two weeks from Nov. 5 in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.

The Ministry of National Defense said Seoul and Washington decided to resume the exercise to maintain security readiness, stating the drill was defensive in nature.

The North denounced the South and the U.S. for the decision, calling the drill an "unforgivable military provocation."

The defense ministry has yet to make a decision over whether to continue suspending joint drills next year.

"After having working-level discussions up to Nov. 15 (over the plans for joint drills next year), the ministry will make a final decision on exercises no later than the end of the month," Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo said earlier.

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