Measures eyed to ease tension at DMZ

By Lee Min-hyung

The Ministry of National Defense will announce measures to ease inter-Korean military tension after the summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un next week, the ministry said Friday.

It did not elaborate, citing the sensitivity of the issue before the historic gathering of the two leaders in the southern part of the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom on April 27.

The two Koreas are yet to decide specific timelines and details for inter-Korean military talks, but they are likely to hold the dialogue soon after the summit in a bid to guarantee lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

“We will unveil details after the summit, and at the moment, we cannot share details,” a military official said.

Easing military tension has been cited as one of the most important items to be discussed at the summit, with the North in recent months reaffirming its clear message for denuclearization.

But as the denuclearization issue is too important to settle quickly, the two Koreas are likely to unveil a list of measures to alleviate tension on the peninsula.

One possible scenario includes suspension of the anti-Pyongyang loudspeaker broadcasts, which resumed after the regime’s fourth nuclear test in 2016.

Marking a week before the summit on Friday, the two Koreas opened a hotline that connects Cheong Wa Dae and the regime’s state affairs commission, which increases the ongoing peace momentum on the peninsula.

There have not been any military provocations between the two Koreas recently, indicating growing signs of peace on the peninsula.

In response, Seoul and Washington have scaled back low-key annual military exercises, which began this month.

NK holds key meeting

Meanwhile, North Korea held a plenary meeting of its ruling party, Friday, drawing keen attention over whether it will send a message of denuclearization ahead of its summits with South Korea and the United States.

The central committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) is scheduled to hold the meeting to discuss policy issues of “a new stage” in a historic period, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

The central committee’s members and alternate members discussed and approved key party policy lines and personnel reshuffles.

They have been no reports yet about the decision made at the meeting.

Experts say the North used WPK plenary meetings to defend its pursuit of nuclear programs.

Kim’s signature policy of seeking both nuclear and economic development, commonly known as the “byeongjin” policy, was adopted at a WPK meeting held in March 2013.

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