South Korea to shorten Civilian Control Line-DMZ distance to as little as 5 km: Defence chief

Seoul, Sep 16 (IANS) South Korea's Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said Tuesday that the government is considering narrowing the distance of the Civilian Control Line (CCL) from the inter-Korean border in order to ease inconveniences faced by residents in border areas.

Ahn made the remarks during a parliamentary interpellation session on foreign affairs and security in the day.

"The Lee Jae Myung government is considering reducing the Civilian Control Line to as little as 5 kilometers from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), depending on the region," Ahn said, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"This measure is intended to address property losses and daily inconveniences experienced by residents in border areas," he added.

Since the early 1970s, the CCL has been set at varying distances of 27 km, 20 km, 15 km or 10 km south of the MDL that runs through the center of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The DMZ, which stretches about 250 km in length and 4 km in width, has served as a buffer between the two Koreas since the end of the 1950–53 Korean War.

On September 12, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that the government will step up support for regions bordering North Korea to compensate for their sacrifices and promote balanced regional growth.

Lee made the remarks during a town hall meeting with residents in Gangwon Province, located south of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas.

"Gangwon is the nation's largest tourist destination, but at the same time, it is also a region that has borne enormous sacrifices due to the inter-Korean confrontation," Lee said at the event in Chuncheon, about 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul.

"Although we cannot fully compensate for the special sacrifices borne by border regions like Gangwon, we will make every effort to ensure that living in Gangwon no longer feels unfair," he added.

Lee criticised past governments for imposing excessive restrictions on border areas without providing fair compensation, calling the practice "unjust."

He said the government will expand education, cultural and welfare infrastructure to improve living conditions in the region while pursuing balanced national development.

After the meeting, Lee visited a front-line Army unit in Hwacheon, about 118 km northeast of Seoul, and received briefings on military readiness, vice presidential spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong said in a written briefing.

He was accompanied by Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back to visit an observatory and a guard post located just south of the DMZ, she said.

--IANS

akl/as