Unification minister makes UN Command-escorted visit to demilitarized zone

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Published: 21 Jan. 2026, 20:26

This file photo, provided by the unification ministry, shows Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, right, visiting the truce village of Panmunjom near the inter-Korean border on July 25, 2025. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Wednesday visited peace trail routes and other areas near the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, the UN Command (UNC) said.

“The minister's visit was conducted at a designated demilitarized zone education and orientation program site,” the U.S.-led UNC said, noting that 15 sites have been designated for such purposes to uphold the safety and stability of the area.

“The minister also walked the established ROK Peace Trail routes south of the DMZ's southern boundary line,” it said, referring to the trail routes stretching from Ganghwa to Goseong near the inter-Korean border. ROK is short for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

The UNC is an enforcer of the armistice that stopped the fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War and oversees activities inside the DMZ — a buffer zone between the two Koreas since the three-year conflict ended without a peace treaty.

Yonhap