Korean People’s Army (KPA) tanks are displayed during a military parade marking the 105th anniversary of the birth of late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2017. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on April 15 saluted as ranks of goose-stepping soldiers followed by tanks and other military hardware paraded in Pyongyang for a show of strength with tensions mounting over his nuclear ambitions. AFP PHOTO
Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat: North Korea Offers to Remove Long-Range Artillery From Border
North Korea reportedly offered to remove some of its long-range artillery pieces from the military demarcation line.
During last week’s high-level cross-border military talks, North Korean officers allegedly suggested the removal of long-range artillery pieces from the military demarcation line — the de-factor border between North and South Korea running near the 38th parallel — to areas 30 to 40 kilometers to the rear, according to local media reports.
The talks, taking place in the border village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone (DMZ), involved two-star generals from the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the Korean People’s Army. It was the first military-to-military dialogue between the two sides in over a decade and a follow up on the Panmunjom Declaration from the April 27 inter-Korean summit at the border village.
According to a source, the North Korean delegates during the talks brought up first the possible removal of long-range artillery pieces “as a matter of principle.” However, another source speaking to South Korea media suggested that it was the South Koreans who initiated discussions on the removal of long-range artillery from the border.
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WNU Editor: If these reports are true .... this would be a major step in de-escalating the tensions on the DMZ. And while these artillery pieces can always be brought to the front lines very quickly .... just as the now suspended U.S. and South Korean military exercises can return with just a command .... the symbolism cannot be underestimated.
2 comments:
North Korea is now a nuclear armed nation. Their deterrent is no longer the destruction of the South by artillery, as the country struggles with production the allocation of manpower to man these guns is redundant.
a long-range artillery piece on the border can be moved further away from the border and still be used...after all, how far is Seoul from the border?
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