Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

S. Korean Military Authorities Urged to Fulfill Their Responsibility before Times and Nation

Korean Central News Agency of DPRK via Korea News Service (KNS)

    Pyongyang, November 29 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the north side delegation to the North-South Military Talks issued a statement on Nov. 29 accusing the U.S. imperialist aggressors of perpetrating abnormal acts in areas under the control of the north and the south. The statement says:
    Recently the U.S. imperialist aggression troops unhesitatingly committed such abnormal acts as suddenly coming as close as 100 m from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the areas under the control of the north and the south in the eastern and western coastal regions, which had been agreed upon and fixed by the north and the south, without prior notice, watching vehicles moving between the north and the south, photographing areas of the north side and jesting its guard personnel on duty by finger and body languages.
    They committed a total of 130 cases of such provocative acts in October and November only with more than 180 GIs involved. This has created disturbing developments which may escalate confrontation and tension in the above-said areas.
    What matters here is that such acts are tacitly connived at by the south Korean military authorities which are obliged to demand the observation of the security and order in the areas as required by the agreements reached between both sides.
    In order to cope with this situation the north side sent a notice of protest to an institution concerned of the south Korean military authorities and repeatedly demanded them put under control such abnormal phenomena in the areas at the two field contacts between heads of military working officers. Each time the south Korean military authorities openly defended the U.S. imperialists' acts, asserting that those bustling about in the areas under the control of the north and the south are "UN forces, not the U.S. forces" and that "they can do nothing as the UN forces have the right to control the demilitarized zone (DMZ) including the areas under the control of the north and the south under the Armistice Agreement.(AA)" They went the lengths of uttering the unreasonable logic that the north-south agreement is less important than the AA and, therefore, one may not comply with it. Such stand and attitude of the south Korean military are intolerable in view of the basic spirit of the June 15 joint declaration and the national self-respect as they glaringly disclose the irresponsible stand little short of reducing the agreements calling for a military guarantee already concluded between the north and the south to dead ones.
    In case one follows the logic of the south Korean military one should draw conclusion that there is no reason for the north side to be subject to the agreement on security and order in the areas under the control of the north and the south as it has the right to control and manage the DMZ as a party directly responsible for the conclusion of the AA and, therefore, the south Korean military alone is obliged to implement the agreement as it has no "right to control" the DMZ.
    The north-south agreement can contribute to cooperation, exchange, peace and reunification only when it is guaranteed by the mutual respect for it and its thorough implementation.
    Any party should issue a prior notice to the other party if it wants to enter any place 100 m from the MDL in the areas under the control of the north and the south. This is an important point of the agreements on providing a military guarantee adopted by the militaries of the north and the south on Sept. 17, 2002 and on Dec. 23, 2003.
    However, the U.S. imperialist aggression troops in south Korea are strutting about in those areas in utter disregard of the agreement reached between Koreans in the north and the south.
    Through such acts the U.S. imperialist aggression troops in south Korea foolishly seek to prevent their position as the "UN forces" from declining as the days go by and interfere in and hamstring the inter-Korean cooperation and exchange.
    A tacit connivance at such arrogant acts of the U.S. imperialist aggression troops to meet a sinister purpose can never be justified as it is little short of openly negating the north-south agreement.
    The south Korean military is not in a position to properly implement the military agreements on preserving the security and order in the above-said areas, reading the face of the U.S. This servile attitude compels the north side to ponder over whether it can sit with the south Korean military to handle such important issues as halting the military confrontation on the Korean Peninsula in the future.
    To properly maintain the security and order in the areas under the control of the north and the south or not is an important issue related to the north-south cooperation and exchange.
    The south Korean military authorities should face up to the serious developments in the controversial areas, take a decisive measure to thoroughly implement the military agreements reached between both sides and fully discharge its mission and responsibility on behalf of the times and the nation. We will closely watch the future moves of the south Korean military.