Bill permitting gov't control of non-military DMZ access faces opposition

An enactment bill permitting the South Korean government to control non-military access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which bisects the Korean Peninsula, 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, but it 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 foreignWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times