By Yi Whan-woo
Controversy is growing over the failure of South Korean soldiers at the Joint Security Area to return fire when North Korean sentinels opened fire at their comrade fleeing to the South, Monday.
This was in line with the authority over the use of force at the JSA, which is jointly overseen by the United Nations Command (UNC) and North Korea.
In 2004, the South Korean Army took over the duty of keeping security at the JSA from the U.S., which is located inside the Demilitarized Zone.
But authority over the use of force still falls under the UNC commander, U.S. Forces Korea chief Gen. Brooks.
South Korean soldiers are not allowed to use military force unless their action is justified under UNC rules of engagement applied to the JSA.
It remains uncertain whether the North Koreans shot at the defector even after he crossed the Military Demarcation Line and entered the South Korean zone.
The South Korean and U.S. soldiers recovered the defector without using any military force only a few minutes after he was shot and fatally wounded.
Against this backdrop, President Moon Jae-in asked to consider revising the rules of engagement at the JSA, Thursday, although he noted UNC’s positive assessment on the South’s measure over the incident.
“The issues on the rules of engagement at the JSA are something that should be discussed, although it is under the UNC’s control,” he said during a meeting with presidential secretaries. “It is yet to be determined whether the North Korean sentinels aimed at our soldiers. But even so, the people would generally think of a rule of engagement as something that permits our soldiers to at least fire warning shots if a bullet from the North Korean is fired at us.”
A South Korean military official said the military is “seriously considering” measures to apply the country’s own rules of engagement at the JSA.
“There is a general consensus that the JSA should be managed under our rules of engagement considering our soldiers are in charge of keeping security there,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“We’ll discuss with the UNC that the South Korean officer to assume the authority for the use of military force in a flexible manner so that our soldiers can return fire immediately if the North Koreans fire at us.”
The dispute over the rules of engagement was also heated as it was found that the North Koreans shot at the defectors using hand guns and AK-47s.
Some military officials said being armed with an AK-47, a semi-automatic rifle, is in violation of the Korean Armistice Agreement, under which the JSA guards are allowed to be only armed with manual weapons.
But other officials argued AK-47s can be carried at the JSA as long as they are not used in an assault.