South Korean Military’s Verification of North Korean Outpost Demolitions Found Lacking
Seoul, South Korea – A declassified document released by the South Korean Ministry of NationalDefense has revealed that the South Korean military failed to thoroughly verify whether North Korea had demolished underground facilities during the dismantling of their frontline outposts (GPs) in 2018.
The document, a Verification Report on the Dismantling of North Korean Frontline Outposts compiled by the Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) in December 2018, was submitted to the office of ruling party lawmaker Yoo Ryong-won on October 22nd. It details how a 77-member verification team was dispatched to inspectthe 10 demolished outposts, with seven members assigned to each site.
The report acknowledges that the verification team assessed the aboveground facilities of the 10 outposts as having been largely demolished. However, it highlights a significantoversight: the verification process was limited due to North Korea’s claim that the outposts lacked underground facilities. While the South Korean team discovered potential hidden underground spaces, they were unable to fully confirm their existence or extent.
This revelation raises concerns about the thoroughness of the verification process and the potential for North Korea tomaintain hidden underground facilities, potentially undermining the spirit of the 2018 Inter-Korean Military Agreement (also known as the September 19th Agreement), which called for the dismantling of the GPs as a confidence-building measure.
The document’s release comes at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, with North Korea conducting a series of missile tests in recent months. The lack of thorough verification regarding the underground facilities could further complicate efforts to build trust and promote denuclearization on the peninsula.
The South Korean Ministry of National Defense has not yet commented on the findings of the declassified report. However, the document’srelease is likely to fuel further scrutiny of the military’s verification procedures and raise questions about the effectiveness of the 2018 Inter-Korean Military Agreement.
References:
- Yonhap News Agency. (2024, October 22). South Korean military’s verification of North Korean outpostdemolitions found lacking. [News article]. Retrieved from [link to article]
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