Concerns of friction grow over Seoul's request for UNC cooperation on DMZ access
Published: 05 Feb. 2026, 18:24
Updated: 05 Feb. 2026, 19:35
![The Joint Security Area inside the border village of Panmunjom is seen on April 18, 2018. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/05/03572974-c038-45dc-9e9e-beace46bbe2d.jpg)
The Joint Security Area inside the border village of Panmunjom is seen on April 18, 2018. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Seoul reportedly sought cooperation from the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC) in January over a plan to shift management over parts of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) to South Korea, sources said Thursday, raising concerns that the move could trigger further friction with the command.
Similar proposals have been made under previous administrations. However, moves by the ruling Democratic Party to push a so-called DMZ bill on accessing the border area without the UNC’s agreement have raised concerns about rising tensions.
The stretch the Ministry of National Defense hopes to bring under South Korean control contains fences north of the southern boundary line set at the time the armistice agreement was signed on July 27, 1953, according to multiple sources on Thursday.
Military authorities estimate that such areas account for up to 50 percent of the DMZ’s total width, which stretches about 255 kilometers (158 miles) from east to west.
Originally, fences on the southern side of the DMZ were installed along the southern boundary line, 2 kilometers south of the military demarcation line. However, during the 1960s and 1970s, the southern fences were gradually moved northward while the northern boundaries were shifted south, creating discrepancies from the armistice-era boundaries.
As a result, some forward units’ general outposts have effectively been operating inside the DMZ while conducting guard duties. The Defense Ministry believes it would be practical for the South Korean military to hold approval authority for civilian access in those sections.
![A meeting room inside the Joint Security Area at the border village of Panmunjom is seen on July 19, 2022. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/05/6680fa30-7e21-4c09-962d-b3663f32012e.jpg)
A meeting room inside the Joint Security Area at the border village of Panmunjom is seen on July 19, 2022. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Under the proposal, areas south of the fence would be controlled by South Korea, while areas to the north would remain under UNC control.
The areas the Defense Ministry seeks to administer reportedly include the section of the DMZ Peace Trail in Goseong, Gangwon, where Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young visited on Jan. 21 and expressed an intention to reopen it to the public.
Last December, the Ministry of Unification stated that it would push to reopen three suspended DMZ Peace Trail routes within the year.
The proposal is not unprecedented as similar intentions were communicated to the United States during the previous Moon Jae-in and Yoon Suk Yeol administrations.
![Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young, second from right, is seen during a visit to the DMZ Peace Trail routes in Goseong, Gangwon on Jan. 21. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/05/8a5d2912-82d5-42e5-8864-e92bdd2f7f85.jpg)
Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young, second from right, is seen during a visit to the DMZ Peace Trail routes in Goseong, Gangwon on Jan. 21. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]
Specifically, South Korea communicated the need to expand its authority over certain sections of the DMZ through defense-level working groups such as the South Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue.
With Washington pursuing what it calls “alliance modernization,” the Defense Ministry plans to include a “realistic approach to DMZ management” among South Korea’s agenda items.
Still, there are concerns within and outside the military that the proposal, when combined with the DMZ bill that has been promoted by the Unification Ministry and the DP since last year, could invite unnecessary misunderstandings by the UNC, which could perceive the moves as attempts to undermine its authority over the DMZ under the armistice agreement.
In response to such concerns, Defense Ministry insiders have stressed that “this is not a request for overall jurisdiction or joint management of the DMZ.”
![Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young, far left, is seen during a visit to the DMZ Peace Trail routes in Goseong, Gangwon on Jan. 21. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/05/ca12043b-7860-4401-900f-d9356590cef4.jpg)
Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young, far left, is seen during a visit to the DMZ Peace Trail routes in Goseong, Gangwon on Jan. 21. [MINISTRY OF UNIFICATION]
“If [the DMZ bill] passes, a rational, logical, legal interpretation is that the ROK government has removed itself from the armistice and is no longer bound by it,” said one UNC official on Jan. 28, using the acronym for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.
The timing suggested the command was emphasizing its authority shortly after the Defense Ministry conveyed its views, a move that could be read as an indirect expression of opposition.
Separately from the Defense Ministry’s proposal, divisions have also emerged within the government over the DMZ law.
The Unification Ministry maintains that a comprehensive law governing DMZ-related matters is fundamentally necessary, while the Defense Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have voiced concerns over potential violations of the armistice agreement and sanctions on North Korea.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHUNG YEONG-GYO, LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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