Authorities should work out measures to protect ecosystem
Last week the government announced a plan to build walking trails, to be named "Peace Trails," in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. This plan is part of President Moon Jae-in's ambitious project to transform the area into a peace park in the long run.
Five ministries, including the Ministry of National Defense, got together to work out the plan. However, the government appears to be pushing it through unilaterally without sufficient prior consultations with related public and private groups such as environmental organizations.
The government also made the plan public in a hasty, one-sided way without discussing the safety of people walking the projected trails, scheduled to open in June, with North Korea. Furthermore, the defense ministry has yet to obtain approval from the United Nations Command (UNC) which manages access to the DMZ.
The ministry said that it is in the final stages of consultation with the UNC, waiting for its final decision. But this does not mean that the UNC has approved tourists' access to the DMZ.
With regards to the planned opening of the DMZ, the government should not overlook environmental matters. In fact, the area has been far off the beaten track for more than a half century since the truce that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. It has become an international treasure house of rare species of flora and fauna.
The government should listen to the voices of environmental organizations which have said that opening the DMZ hastily without any plan to preserve its ecosystem may damage its pristine nature. They are also expressing concerns that the peace trails project may lead to reckless development in the region.
The Moon administration is apparently seeking to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula by building the walking trails in the DMZ at an early date. The first thing the government should do is to reach an agreement with North Korea to obtain a guarantee of visitors' personal safety. It must also work out measures for the environmental protection of the DMZ.
Last week the government announced a plan to build walking trails, to be named "Peace Trails," in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas. This plan is part of President Moon Jae-in's ambitious project to transform the area into a peace park in the long run.
Five ministries, including the Ministry of National Defense, got together to work out the plan. However, the government appears to be pushing it through unilaterally without sufficient prior consultations with related public and private groups such as environmental organizations.
The government also made the plan public in a hasty, one-sided way without discussing the safety of people walking the projected trails, scheduled to open in June, with North Korea. Furthermore, the defense ministry has yet to obtain approval from the United Nations Command (UNC) which manages access to the DMZ.
The ministry said that it is in the final stages of consultation with the UNC, waiting for its final decision. But this does not mean that the UNC has approved tourists' access to the DMZ.
With regards to the planned opening of the DMZ, the government should not overlook environmental matters. In fact, the area has been far off the beaten track for more than a half century since the truce that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. It has become an international treasure house of rare species of flora and fauna.
The government should listen to the voices of environmental organizations which have said that opening the DMZ hastily without any plan to preserve its ecosystem may damage its pristine nature. They are also expressing concerns that the peace trails project may lead to reckless development in the region.
The Moon administration is apparently seeking to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula by building the walking trails in the DMZ at an early date. The first thing the government should do is to reach an agreement with North Korea to obtain a guarantee of visitors' personal safety. It must also work out measures for the environmental protection of the DMZ.
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