SEOUL: The United Nations Command (UNC) announced on Tuesday that the international troops stationed at Panmunjom, the truce village on the South Korean border with North Korea, who were previously without arms, are now permitted to carry guns again.
The multinational military force led by the U.S., known as the UNC, oversees activities within the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, which remain in a technical state of war.
Panmunjom, formally recognized as the Joint Security Area (JSA), has been a popular destination for tourists. It comprises a collection of buildings where inter-Korean discussions take place and where troops from both sides are stationed in close proximity.
The recent decision to authorize UNC troops to carry firearms this month was prompted by the Korean People’s Army (KPA) soldiers from North Korea reestablishing “an armed security posture” in the region, according to Colonel Isaac Taylor, the spokesperson for the UNC.
Taylor emphasized that this action aimed to safeguard both civilian and military personnel in the border vicinity.
“This action is being taken out of an abundance of caution, but UNC has also informed the ROK (South Korea) government and KPA of its position that a disarmed JSA is safer and more peaceful for the Korean Peninsula,” Taylor said.
Since November, North Korean troops have been seen carrying firearms despite the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement prohibiting armed troops in the JSA. South Korea recently halted a portion of the pact in response to Pyongyang’s satellite launch, prompting North Korea to nullify the agreement and vow to bolster its armed presence and introduce new weapons along the border.
