Military Considers Deploying Special Forces Regiment to DMZ Border... Response to North Korean GP Restoration

North Korea Moves to Restore GPs After 'Military Agreement Termination'
Unusual Case of Special Forces Unit Deployed to DMZ

The military authorities are considering deploying a special forces regiment to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for border operations in response to North Korea's restoration of frontline guard posts (GPs).

According to military sources on the 10th, the military is considering deploying a special forces regiment to strengthen border operations around South Korean GPs within the DMZ. After declaring the complete nullification of the September 19 inter-Korean military agreement last November, North Korea began restoring 11 northern GPs that had been demolished and withdrawn under the military agreement. This work is reportedly nearly complete. The South Korean military is also restoring 11 southern GPs that were demolished and withdrawn under the military agreement, but rebuilding the concrete structures is expected to take considerable time.

The Ministry of National Defense announced that in November last year, it detected signs of North Korea restoring observation posts at the front-line guard posts (GP) on the eastern front using ground surveillance equipment and thermal observation devices (TOD). According to the September 19, 2018 inter-Korean military agreement, both Koreas had pilot withdrawn GPs in the Demilitarized Zone, but North Korea declared the termination of the agreement last year and began restoring the GPs. The photo shows North Korean soldiers erecting wooden structures and painting them with camouflage patterns.
[Photo by Ministry of National Defense]

Before reconstructing the structures, the military is establishing separate security facilities to ensure the safety of soldiers deployed for border operations. As part of strengthening border security, the deployment of the special forces regiment is also being considered. Typically, DMZ border operations are handled by units below the division level, such as reconnaissance battalions. The deployment of a special forces regiment, which is a corps-level direct unit, would be an extremely unusual case.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated, "The operation of withdrawn GPs will be comprehensively reviewed and pursued by considering the operational available forces and conditions of each unit, exploring various methods," adding, "Specific details regarding operations within the DMZ are restricted from disclosure to ensure the safety of our soldiers."