S. Korea preparing countermeasures in response to N. Korea‘s armistice violation

Nov 23, 2017, 08:54 am

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The US-led United Nations Command (UNC) released CCTV footage Wednesday of a North Korean soldier running toward South Korea through the Joint Security Area of Panmunjeom last Monday. As the solder's jeep became stuck in a drainage ditch, he got out the vehicle and started running to the South./ Source: The captured image of the video released by the UNC.

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By AsiaToday reporter Choi Tae-beom

It has been officially confirmed Wednesday that the North Korean troops crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) when chasing a North Korean soldier defecting to the South through the Joint Security Area of Panmunjeom on Nov. 13.

Since it's clear that North Korea violated the Armistice Agreement, the South Korean government plans to take countermeasures in accordance with relevant international regulations or legal procedures. The UNC also requested North Korea to convene a meeting to discuss the results and measures to prevent future violations.

However, North Korea is unlikely to respond to the meeting as it has cut a hot line with the UNC since it declared invalid the armistice agreement in 2013. There is no proper sanction, and the government is concerned over how to respond to the violations.

The UNC, which has been investigating the incident, has unveiled a 7-minute CCTV footage and a thermometer monitoring footage along with the announcement of the investigation result.

"The key findings of the special investigation team indicate that the Korean People's Army (North Korean army) violated the Armistice Agreement by one firing weapons across the MDL, two by actually crossing the MDL temporarily," said the UNC.

With North Korea's armistice violation, people are paying attention to the possibility of inter-Korean talks. Whether the talks will be held to discuss the violation or the South-North relations will be strained remains to be seen.

As North Korea has stopped provoking for more than two months, expectations for inter-Korean talks have been growing. However, the violations of the armistice agreement are expected to change the atmosphere.

In particular, the South Korean government has been making efforts so that North Korea participates in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics to be held in February. However, many believe that North Korea's violation of armistice agreement has made it difficult to hold inter-Korean talks.

#North Korea #armistice agreement #violation #United Nations Command #South Korea