09-151.pdf

war provocations. At the 138th meeting called by the KPA/CPV convened
on March 21, the North asserted that if the American troops
were withdrawn, peaceful re-unification would be achieved. At the
142nd meeting requested by the KPA/CPV held on June 24, the North
accused the UNC of making “... new war preparations...” by bringing in
brand-new weapons and combat units and urged an end of these policies.
A withdrawal of US troops was requested, but the UNC responded
that they were stationed in South Korea to prevent a new invasion.
When the 149th meeting called by the KPA/CPV took place on
January 26, 1962, the South claimed that the UN troops would remain
in South Korea as long as there was an invasion threat. Finally, at the
285th meeting called by the KPA/CPV held on March 11, 1969, the
UNC/MAC asserted that the UN troops protected South Korea and
repeated the opinion expressed at the 149th meeting. 109 Obviously,
the parties’ positions on American troops were, as with the rearmaments
issue, diametrically opposed, perpetuating the zero-sum game.
On the other hand, the North only raised the demand for a withdrawal
five times in comparison with 14 times from 1957-59. War preparations
were raised along with the troops issue five times.
Kim (2003) points to the militarization of the DMZ as another
main point of dispute throughout the 1960s (cf. p. 19). Previously, as
Lee writes (2001b): “Both sides generally complied with the major
provisions of the Armistice Agreement pertaining to the DMZ for the
first ten years, from 1953 to 1963.” The DMZ was “a real buffer zone”
109_ Columbia University, Text of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, Paragraph 60;
Hapch’am chôngbo ponbu, ibid., 1999, pp. 102-103, 114, 115, 222, 223; Kim,
op. cit., 2003, p. 180; Kukpang chôngbo ponbu, ibid., 1993, pp. 74, 75, 78,
80-81, 84, 88, 154.
Rising Tensions on the Korean Peninsula during the 1960s
131