The military announced measures to ease military tensions between North and South Korea by restoring actions that place less burden on combat readiness, focusing on humanitarian cards. The Lee government has initiated a proactive and phased restoration of these measures.
The Ministry of National Defense announced on the 15th that it had resumed the excavation project in the Baengma-goji area of Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, which had been suspended at the end of 2022. This is interpreted as the first step in the proactive and phased restoration of the September 19 military agreement, mentioned by President Lee Jae-myung during his Liberation Day address.
On this day, the Ministry of National Defense explained that the resumption of excavation at Baengma-goji is part of measures to ease military tensions between the two Koreas. It added that this effort aims to return the remains of those who died during the Korean War to their families and country, and serves as a practical step in transforming the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a zone of peace.
There are evaluations from officials inside and outside the government that the military authorities have begun to restore the September 19 military agreement by resuming the ‘joint excavation of remains within the DMZ’ as stipulated in Article 2, Clause 3 of the agreement. The choice of excavating Korean War remains within the DMZ, which does not burden military readiness and has a strong humanitarian nature, was selected as the first step in restoring the September 19 military agreement.
Previously, North and South Korea had agreed in the September 19 military agreement of 2018 to conduct a trial joint excavation project in the Cheorwon area of the DMZ.
Military authorities had conducted excavations in the southern DMZ areas of Arrowhead Hill and Baengma-goji from April of the following year, but the North did not show any significant movement. As the inter-Korean relations deteriorated and military tensions escalated after the inauguration of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, even the unilateral excavation efforts by the South were suspended in November 2022.
It is known that approximately 50 sets of remains were identified during the previous excavation work at Baengma-goji, but no further excavation was carried out.
However, the possibility of future joint excavations is considered very low, as the North has taken cessation measures in the DMZ area, espousing a “hostile two-state theory” and denying inter-Korean relations since the end of 2023.
Since last year, the North has been restoring guard posts (GP) destroyed according to the September 19 military agreement in the DMZ area and dismantled the tactical road used for joint excavation efforts at Arrowhead Hill. They also continue to build hostile border installations, such as newly laying mines throughout the northern DMZ area and constructing anti-tank barriers.