North Korea Rearms JSA Troops with Pistols, UN Command Responds

As North Korea, having abolished the 9·19 South-North Military Agreement, bolstered its military presence in the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom, the United Nations Command (UNC) responded with “corresponding measures.”

Following North Korea’s restoration of the front-line Guard Post (GP) as a follow-up measure to the abolition of the Military Agreement, it appears that our side has also taken steps to restore the GP and re-arm JSA security guards.

The UNC said in a statement released on the 19th, “Considering the current armed posture of the North Korean military, the UNC has granted the authority and qualification to re-arm JSA security guards to protect both civilians and military personnel. This measure was taken with great caution.”

The UNC expressed its viewpoint, affirming that they had communicated to the South Korean government and the North Korean military the belief that adhering to previous agreements and disarming the JSA could contribute to a safer and more peaceful Korean Peninsula.

In particular, they emphasized, “We assured North Korean military officials that the JSA will remain a place for dialogue and compliance with the armistice agreement.”

Jeon Ha Kyu, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, said during a regular briefing about the timing of our re-armament, “It would be good to confirm the UNC’s position,” but also said, “I understand it was around the beginning of this month. I understand that the UNC took such (re-armament) measures to protect civilians and military personnel.”

This is interpreted as emphasizing that it is not a measure considering North Korea’s provocations, such as the launch of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM), but a corresponding response to North Korea’s abolition of the Military Agreement.

The UNC explained, “The timing of the re-armament was not after the missile launch, but before the launch,” and “It is not a measure in response to the missile launch.”