Deputy UNC Commander Speaks Out Against ROK Government Trying to Change DMZ Rules
I am in agreement with Lt. Gen. Winter that the rules that govern the DMZ should not be tampered with for no good reason:
The deputy commander of the U.N. Command (UNC) has stressed the need for prudence in any changes regarding the control and use of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, calling the armistice a “proven framework.”
Lt. Gen. Scott Winter made the remarks as the U.S.-led UNC has objected to bills seeking to promote the peaceful use of the military buffer zone, citing safety and the need to adhere to the armistice agreement.
Currently, the UNC administers the DMZ as the southern enforcer of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.
“What I would say is that when you’ve got a proven framework that works so well, I’d be very wary of doing anything that could change what is already working extremely well,” Winter said in an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.
“We need to be very wary about anything that undermines the integrity of a system of management and de-escalation that has worked so well for such a long period of time,” he said, when asked about a report on Seoul’s defense ministry suggesting to the UNC managing parts of the southern half of the DMZ, without directly commenting on the proposal.
You can read more at the link.
This is perfectly understandable from the point of view of the South Korean government, which just saw the US deliberately spark a war in the Persian Gulf. Not to mention the Yoon government’s attempt to spark the second Korean War in 2024 by sending drones to North Korea. It used to be that the other sides started the escalations, but nowadays, the threats come from the US side – ask Denmark with Greenland, and Canada with the US’s 51st state rhetoric. Understandably, the South Koreans don’t trust the US to be stable and not spark another regional war.