Demilitarized Zone

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ, 비무장지대/非武裝地帶) is an area in which treaties or agreements between nations, military powers or contending groups forbid military installations, activities or personnel. A DMZ often lies along an established frontier or boundary between two or more military powers or alliances.

A DMZ may sometimes form a de facto international border—for example, the 38th parallel between North and South Korea. Other examples of demilitarized zones are a 190 km (120 mile) area between Iraq and Kuwait, Antarctica (preserved for scientific exploration and study) and outer space - space more than 160 km (100 miles) from the earth's surface.

[One sentence tip] DMZ란 6.25 한국전쟁이 휴전에 들어가면서 기존 북위 38선 대신 남과 북의 경계를 이룬 비무장지대를 말한다.

Keywords

demilitarized zone (DMZ), joint security area (JSA), NLL, armistice agreement, DMZ Peace Park

Legal nature

Many demilitarized zones are considered neutral territory because neither side is allowed to control it, even for non-combat administration. Some zones remain demilitarized after an agreement has awarded control to a state which (under the DMZ terms) had originally ceded its right to maintain military forces in the disputed territory.

It is also possible for powers to agree on the demilitarization of a zone without formally settling their respective territorial claims, enabling the dispute to be resolved by peaceful means such as diplomatic dialogue or an international court.

Several demilitarized zones have also unintentionally become wildlife preserves because their land is unsafe for construction or less exposed to human disturbances (including hunting). Examples include the Korean Demilitarized Zone, the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone, the Ben Hai River, the Hien Luong Bridge and the Green Line in Cyprus.

Korean DMZ

The Korean Demilitarized Zone (한반도 비무장지대/韓半島非武裝地帶) is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea which runs along the 38th parallel north. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and the east end lying north of it. It was created as part of the Korean Armistice Agreement between North Korea, the People's Republic of China, and the United Nations Command forces in 1953.

It is 250 km (155 miles) long, approximately 4 km (2.5 mile) wide and despite its name is the most heavily militarized border in the world. The Northern Limit Line, or NLL, is the de facto maritime boundary between North and South Korea in the Yellow Sea and the coastline and islands on both sides of the NLL are also heavily militarized

Korean laws related with DMZ

In relation to DMZ, there are three laws:

• the Natural Environment Conservation Act (자연환경보전법/自然環境保全法)
• the Baekdu-Daegan Protection Act (백두대간 보호에 관한 법률/白頭大幹保護法)
• the Special Act on Support for Border Area (접경지역지원특별법/接境地域支援特別法)

So far, the current issue of DMZ has been discussed from the three points of view:

• preserving the eco-system in the DMZ;
• promoting economic activities in and around the DMZ; or
• enhancing the spirit of national defense.

At this juncture, the Institute of Humanities for Unification (건국대 통일인문학연구단) has made a suggestion to use the Korean DMZ as a symbolic space for "Life, Peace and Healing".

Joint Security Area

Inside the DMZ, near the western coast of the peninsula, Panmunjeom (판문점/板門店) is the home of the Joint Security Area (JSA, 공동경비구역/共同警備區域). This is the place where, in about a dozen buildings that straddle the armistice line, all meetings between North Korea and the United Nations Command or South Korea, including those of the Military Armistice Commission, have taken place.

Originally, it was the only connection or communication channel between North and South Korea but that changed in 2007 when a Korail train crossed the DMZ to the North on the new Donghae Bukbu Line (동해북부선/東海北部線) built on the east coast of Korea.

Nature reserve

In the past half century, the Korean DMZ has been a deadly place for humans, making habitation impossible. Only around the village of Panmunjeom and more recently the Donghae Bukbu Line have there been regular incursions by people.

This natural isolation along 250 km (155 miles) length of the DMZ has created an involuntary park which is now recognized as one of the most well-preserved areas of temperate habitat in the world. The endangered Amur Leopard that may have found unlikely protection within the Korean DMZ. Several endangered animal and plant species now exist among the heavily fortified fences, landmines and listening posts. These include the extremely rare red-crowned crane (a staple of Asian art), and the white-naped crane as well as, potentially, the extremely rare Korean tiger, Amur leopard and Asiatic black bear. Ecologists have identified some 2,900 plant species, 70 types of mammals and 320 kinds of birds within the narrow buffer zone. Additional surveys are now being conducted throughout the region.

The DMZ owes its varied biodiversity to its geography, which crosses mountains, prairies, swamps, lakes and tidal marshes. Environmentalists hope that the DMZ will be conserved as a wildlife refuge, with a well-developed set of objective and management plans vetted and in place. In 2005, CNN founder and media mogul, Ted Turner, on a visit to North Korea, said that he would financially support any plans to turn the DMZ into a peace park and a UN-protected World Heritage Site.

DMZ one-day tour

Tourists may travel outside the western part of DMZ and go into the No. 3 infiltration tunnel dug by the North Korea army in preparation for a sneak attack. They also visit Mt. Dora Observatory to look into the North Korean territory beyond DMZ line. ID check is requisite and foreign language service is available.

DMZ Peace Park

In September 2011, South Korea submitted Nomination form to Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) in UNESCO for designation of 435 km² in the southern part of the DMZ below the Military Demarcation Line (군사분계선/軍事分界線), as well as 2,979 km² in privately controlled areas, as a Biosphere Reserve according to the Statutory Framework of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. MAB National Committee of the Republic of Korea mentioned only southern part of DMZ to be nominated since there was no response from Pyongyang when it requested Pyongyang to push jointly. North Korea is a member nation of the international coordinating council of UNESCO’s MAB Programme, which designates Biosphere Reserves.

North Korea opposed the application as a violation of the armistice agreement during the council's meeting in Paris on July 9 to 13, 2012. The South Korean government's attempt to designate the DMZ a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve was turned down at UNESCO’s MAB council meeting in Paris in July, 2012. Pyongyang expressed its opposition by sending letters to 32 council member countries, except for Korea, and the UNESCO headquarters a month prior to the meeting. At the council meeting, Pyongyang unfolded political rhetoric, claiming that the designation violates the Armistice Agreement. It also claimed that DMZ is under jurisdiction of both South Korea and UNC, therefore it is necessary to gain consent from UNC over the designation. Despite the effort put by Republic of Korea, on July 12, the MAB International Coordinating Council (ICC) deferred South Korea’s September 2011 application.

On August 15, 2013, in her Liberation Day address, President Park Geun-hye proposed to North Korea reunions of separated families as well as joint development of a peace park in the DMZ, raising the prospect of reviving lackluster inter-Korean cooperation projects. This time the response of Pyeongyang remains to be seen in an affirmative manner.

It's because President Park's offer came a day after the two sides agreed to take steps to reopen the Gaeseong industrial park following a 133-day freeze.

References

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