By Joshua over at One Free Korea has an interesting thought in response to this recent announcement from the ROK military:
The South Korean military said Monday it has removed some 1,300 land mines this year from the country’s rural areas bordering North Korea, a reminder of the tense 1950-53 Korean War that ended in a truce. In the operations that lasted from April to November, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) mobilized 3,300 personnel to remove mines from a total of 100,000 square meters of land south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), it said in a release. Since starting the operations in 1999, JCS has cleared 65,000 mines. [Yonhap]
I tend to think that this mine removal probably has more to do with the safety of ROK soldiers and civilians in the area. I can remember a few years back I was conducting training over at Oklahoma Range along the DMZ when we were notified that a ROK soldier that day had his leg blown off by a landmine that had some how been washed away by rain from its original location. I have heard of farmers along the DMZ having the same thing happen to them as well.
Joshua on the other hand believes this may be a way to make the southern border more accessible for North Korean refugees to defect. A problem I see is that when looking at a map of the DMZ the only major population center near it is Kaesong:
Along the North Korea-China border there are many more large North Korean population centers such as Sinujiu, Hyesan, Musan, and Hoeryong for potential defectors to blend into before attempting to cross into China. Civilians trying to defect along the DMZ would really stand out in a heavily patrolled area. The people that it may make it easier for defections for are North Korean soldiers, however I wouldn’t expect much of an increase in this because of the threat to their families if they defect.
It is a good thought but I just don’t think the DMZ is viable alternative yet for potential defectors compared to taking their chances defecting to China and taking the underground railroad there to South Korea.
3:07 am on December 23rd, 2009 1
I'm thinking that these mines were not removed from the DMZ itself, but rather rear areas south of the DMZ, especially around airfields and air defense sites. The DMZ still has a mine density of 2.3 per square meter, and I don't think the North Koreans will be removing their mines anytime soon unless they, the US, and South Korea all three join the Ottawa Treaty.
4:48 am on December 23rd, 2009 2
The One Free Korea article seems to assume the ROK government and citizenry wants NorK refugees and/or to destabilize DPRK. Everything I have seen an heard regarding that points in quite the opposite direction. I think the notion they did it to cut down on ROK injuries is much more likely along with a little PR for the outside.
I really don't understand Koreans when it comes to reunification. They are at least as nationalistic as we Americans are. My guess is if a hunk of America were being ruled by a tyrant, we would crush them at the earliest possible moment, expenses be damned! I have heard only one sensible explanation on this. Korean friend of mine once told me keeping North Korea going was important because Korea as a whole needs nukes to counter-balance the Japanese and Chinese. Since ROK is a respectable nation, it can't nuke up while their roguish brethren to the north can. Awfully cynical, but its an awfully more palatable rationalization than Koreans in ROK are just too rich, happy and lazy to be bothered with the whole mess.
12:08 pm on December 23rd, 2009 3
"Korean friend of mine once told me keeping North Korea going was important because Korea as a whole needs nukes to counter-balance the Japanese and Chinese."
I can believe China, but the Japanese constitution has pretty much neutered its armed forces, so you're friends are being irrational.
Besides, South Korea most probably has nukes.
12:20 pm on December 23rd, 2009 4
South Korea doesn't have nukes, we gave them nuclear power technology awhile back so they wouldn't research how to get nukes (to get nuclear power you must first learn to build the bomb basically).
And the Japanese are seriously looking into restating part of their constitution. They've already made it clear that a first strike to protect Japan is allowed under the self defense clause. Of course they did this during the time NK was launching missiles over the Japanese mainland.
Seriously the Japanese are a country you don't want to screw with. KJI picks a fight then the next thing he knows he got some sort of flying robotic army all over his a$$.
1:16 am on January 26th, 2010 5
9:09 am on January 26th, 2010 6
Partly true. I knew some guys who spent over a year up here locating mines. These guys were from the UK, Mozambique, US etc… The ROK (and maybe US) army actually blew or removed the mines.
6:16 am on October 25th, 2010 7
Reeeeeearrrrrggggg!!!!