The United Nations Command (UNC) allowed South Korean troops to bear arms in the village of Panmunjom located in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Yonhap reported.
Pyongyang and Seoul had agreed under the 2018 Comprehensive Military Agreement that no weapons were to be carried in the Joint Security Area (JSA), a portion of the DMZ used by the two for diplomatic engagements. However, North Korean troops reportedly carried guns inside the JSA in November.
"Given the KPA's [Korean People's Army] current armed security posture, the UNC has authorized trained and qualified members of the guard forces on the UNC side of the JSA to re-arm to protect both civilian and military personnel," UNC spokesperson Isaac Taylor stated for the news agency. "The United Nations Command has reassured Korean People's Army counterparts that it intends for the JSA to remain a place for dialogue and armistice agreement implementation," Talyor added, reaffirming UNC's role in overseeing the Korean War armistice agreement.
