SEOUL: International troops stationed on the South Korean aspect of the truce village of Panmunjom on the border with North Korea who had been unarmed can resume carrying weapons, the United Nations Command (UNC) stated on Tuesday (Dec 19).
The US-led UNC is a multinational army drive and oversees affairs within the closely fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the 2 Koreas, which stay technically at warfare.
Panmunjom, which has been a preferred vacationer vacation spot, is understood formally because the Joint Security Area (JSA) – a cluster of buildings that has hosted inter-Korean talks and the place troops from either side stand nearly nose to nose.
The determination this month to permit UNC troops to hold weapons got here after North Korean troopers of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) had resumed “an armed security posture” within the space, stated Colonel Isaac Taylor, the spokesperson for the UNC.
Taylor stated the transfer was aimed toward defending each civilian and army personnel within the border space.
“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 stated.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/south-korea-panmunjom-border-truce-peace-village-north-korea-tensions-3998411