Tension Between North And South Korea Eased

An agreement between North and South Korea was reached, easing tensions between the two nations. A series of events resulted to increased tensions between the two countries.

However, a common ground was found between the two countries following marathon discussions between high-level officials of both sides. The deal reduced the risk of a military confrontation after the North increased its artillery forces along the Demilitarized Zone, the most heavily fortified border in the world. Most of the submarines of the North were also sent out of their bases.

Ploughshares Fund executive director Philip Yun said the agreement reduced any risk of miscalculation and room for error with the increased presence of ground forces along the border. Ploughshares Fund is an organization promoting nuclear disarmament.

The unexpected increase in military tension between North and South Korea served as a reminder of the impulsiveness of the young leader of the North, Kim Jong Un. Yun revealed that it is not easy to know the limits of the North Korean leader and it is clear that the North is attempting to push the limits.

Recent troop movements in the North prompted top American military commanders to assess its defense plan for the South in case the North will start a war against its southern neighbor.

The agreement between the two Koreas was welcomed by John Kirby, US State Department spokesman. He said the US is supporting the untiring efforts of President Park Geun-hye of South Korea in improving relations between the two countries.

North And South Korea Reach An Agreement To Ease Tensions - image credit: bbc.com

Park appeared to have been satisfied with the expression of regret by North Korea as indicated on the deal. An apology was earlier demanded by Park for landmine blasts along the DMZ. It remains uncertain if stronger language was used by North Korean officials during the closed-door talks.

National security chief of South Korea, Kim Kwan-jin, said the talks were very meaningful and North Korea apologized for the landmine blasts. Kim added that the two sides agreed on exerting efforts in preventing these incidents form happening in the future as well as reduce tensions between the two nations. North Korea will also lift the “semi-war state” it announced last week, which increased tensions along the border.

Military movements of North Korean forces will be closely monitored, the Defense Ministry of South Korea said after the agreement. Talks will also be held in the future to improve relations and increase the pace of civilian exchanges.

However, the agreement does not deal with larger issues affecting the Korean Peninsula, particularly the nuclear program of the North. Yun said the South will continue to face the threat of the nuclear arsenal of North Korea in the next decade along with its secretive leader.

Analysts revealed that the recent tensions follow the same pattern whenever tensions escalate between the two nations. Yun thinks North Korea carefully planned the recent events, including the landmine blasts. The North was aware of the fact that the South would respond, so they would increase or decrease tensions anytime they wanted to, Yun added.

The North has not acknowledged publicly that it laid the mines along the DMZ. It also denied accusations from the US and Seoul that they laid the mines. In response, South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts along the border, a strategy it did not use for over 10 years.

Posted by James Fried on Wednesday August 26 2015, 12:28 PM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0