Koreans Hold Talks With UN on Demilitarizing the Border

Military officials discuss practical steps to easing tensions along DMZ

Jason Ditz 

Posted onOctober 17, 2018CategoriesNewsTagsNorth Korea, South Korea, UN

Military officials from both North and South Korea met with figures from the UN Command to discuss ways in which the nations could efficiently demilitarize the border, and ease tensions along the demilitarized zone.

Discussions centered on early practical issues like reducing military personnel on either side, while withdrawing weapons and some of the guard posts. Officials say they are encouraged by the progress made at the talks.

These are attempts to dial back the military presence along the demilitarized zone as other deals are reached between the two Koreas. In previous talks, the two sides agreed to work toward restoring rail and road links between the two.

The demilitarized zone was established in 1953 with the armistice for the Korean War. The expectation is that when a peace deal is finalized, the zone will ultimately be dismantled and replaced with a proper normalized border between the two.

The US State Department expressed disquiet about this, however, saying that President Trump has “been very clear” that such moves can only follow complete denuclearization, and that the US opposes anything that would amount to easing sanctions.

https://news.antiwar.com/2018/10/17/koreans-hold-talks-with-un-on-demilitarizing-the-border/