Unification ministry says DMZ access bills do not conflict with armistice

▲ This Jan. 11, 2026, file photo, taken from the border city of Paju, shows the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. (Yonhap)

unification ministry-DMZ access

Unification ministry says DMZ access bills do not conflict with armistice

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry said Thursday pending bills granting the South Korean government control of non-military access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) do not conflict with the armistice as the bills require advance consultation with the United Nations Command (UNC).

The ministry's stance came a day after the UNC voiced strong opposition to the bills, calling them "completely at odds" with the armistice agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

"The ongoing parliamentary discussion on DMZ-related bills requires advance consultations with the UNC for approval of DMZ access, and therefore does not conflict with the armistice at all," the unification ministry said in a notice to the press.

The ministry said it will continue to cooperate on the DMZ access bills, in respect of the National Assembly's legislative rights.

The ministry has thrown its support behind the bills, proposed by ruling party lawmakers, aiming to give the government the authority to regulate non-military access to the DMZ, as part of efforts to promote the peaceful use of the military buffer zone separating the two Koreas.

The U.S.-led UNC has, however, objected to the bills, stressing its role as the administrator of the DMZ under the armistice agreement.

Earlier in the morning, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young also echoed his support for the bills, saying they "do not conflict with the armistice."

Asked to address growing concerns that differences between his ministry and the UNC could erode South Korea-U.S. relations, Chung noted, "That will not be the case."

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