[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] North Korea's Shooting Location Is a Maritime Buffer Zone

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It has been confirmed that the location where A (47), a Grade 8 Marine Fisheries Clerk, was shot and killed by North Korea is within the maritime buffer zone of the September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement.

On the 24th, a military official stated, "A (47), a Grade 8 Marine Fisheries Clerk belonging to the West Sea Fisheries Guidance Management Unit based in Mokpo under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, went missing on the 21st about 1.2 miles (2 km) south of Soyeonpyeongdo Island at sea," adding, "The place where A was shot and killed corresponds to the maritime buffer zone of the September 19 Inter-Korean Military Agreement."

On the 24th, military and intelligence authorities concluded that the public official who went missing from a fisheries guidance vessel near the northernmost Soyeonpyeongdo in the West Sea drifted in North Korean waters while attempting to defect to the North, and was subsequently shot and killed by North Korean forces. The military agreement established buffer zones on land, sea, and air to prohibit hostile acts. The location is not far from where North Korea violated the agreement last November by conducting coastal artillery firing exercises. Even if the intention was to prevent infectious diseases, North Korea’s shooting of an unarmed civilian clearly constitutes a hostile act.

The inter-Korean military agreement, symbolizing the Moon Jae-in administration’s North Korea policy, refers to the "Military Agreement for the Implementation of the Panmunjom Declaration (September 19 Military Agreement)" signed on September 19, 2018, by then Defense Minister Song Young-moo and North Korean Minister of People's Armed Forces No Kwang-chol. It includes five measures to prevent accidental armed clashes between South and North Korean forces. So far, the two Koreas have implemented ▶ suspension of military exercises near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) ▶ establishment of no-fly zones near the MDL ▶ partial withdrawal of guard posts (GPs) within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) ▶ demilitarization of the Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmunjom. However, ▶ establishment of peace zones and pilot joint fishing zones in the West Sea ▶ operation of the Inter-Korean Military Joint Committee to discuss military issues ▶ joint excavation projects for remains have not been implemented due to North Korea’s passive attitude.