Bill permitting gov't control of non-military DMZ access faces opposition
This file photo shows the Demilitarized Zone and the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the namesake North Korean border city, seen from the border city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Nov. 18. Yonhap
A bill permitting the South Korean government to control non-military access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas has run into resistance from government ministries and the United Nations Command (UNC).
Earlier this year, ruling party lawmakers proposed legislation to give the government the authority to regulate non-military access to the DMZ, as part of efforts to promote the peaceful use of the military buffer zone between the two Koreas.
Currently, the U.S.-led UNC, which supervises the southern side of the DMZ, holds the authority to approve or deny access.
The unification ministry has thrown its support behind the legislation on the grounds that the issue pertains to "territorial sovereignty."
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young stressed the need for the DMZ access bill, saying that a senior presidential security official and Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik were recently denied access to the DMZ.
But the unification ministry has run into objections from both the foreign and defense ministries, as well as reportedly from the UNC.
In an opinion submitted to the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, the defense ministry voiced concerns that allowing access to the DMZ without prior consultation with the UNC could create "unnecessary confusion" in the maintenance of the armistice of the 1950-53 Korean War.
The foreign ministry is also stressing the importance of seeking close coordination with the UNC on the matter.
The UNC reportedly expressed concerns over the idea during a recent meeting between its official and the chief of the Ministry of Government Legislation.
When asked about the meeting, the UNC said it does not comment on confidential meetings to maintain trust with the South Korean government but stressed the armistice agreement is a "binding framework."
"The Armistice Agreement remains the binding framework governing both civilian and military access to Armistice-administered areas, including the Demilitarized Zone. Upholding this framework is critical to ensuring safety, operational clarity, and the stability the Armistice has preserved for more than seven decades," it said.
Amid intergovernmental division over the bill, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea plans to host a working-level consultative meeting next week, bringing together officials from the unification, defense and foreign ministries, as well as other related government agencies.