09-151.pdf

Korean were wounded. South Korea regarded the tunnel as evidence
that, in spite of having publicly declared its peaceful intentions, North
Korea had not abandoned its plans to intervene in the South through
military action or, at least, dispatches of agents, but the North denied
any complicity. At the 356th MAC meeting called by the KPA/CPV
held on November 26, the UNC/MAC accused the North of having
built the tunnel and showed photos. The North claimed that the
tunnel “has nothing to do with us” but was one of the South’s “politically
motivated tricks” and denied any responsibility. According to
the South Korean government after the war to prevent the deployment of troops
and weaponry and the establishment of military facilities in the DMZ. It forbade
civilians to reside or engage in industrial activities without permission. In July
1999, the Ministry of National Defence reportedly claimed that landmine victims
in the military with an annual 2,000 cases were twice as high as among civilians.
From Hahm (The Living History of the DMZ, pp. 45-6, 187-8). The first mine
accident the author is aware of took place in January 1964. One of the American
drivers serving the NNSC lost both feet when he stepped on a mine in a so-called
mine-free area. From Uggla, Swedish Group NNSC, Denna orientering omfattar
(Panmunjom, January 31, 1964), p. 3. On December 7, 1979, American soldiers
who had changed shifts lost the way, crossed the MDL and entered into a North
Korean mine field. One soldier died and two were wounded. North Korea
returned all of them. From Lee, op. cit., 2001(a), p. 210. On May 17, 1982, seven
UNC soldiers on patrol around 400 metres south of the MDL were injured by the
explosion of mines. The soldiers and the personnel who tried to rescue them were
fired on from five guards posts in the North. From Kim, “Hyujôn ihu ssangbang
chôngjôn hyôpchông wiban,” in Hapch’am chôngbo ponbu, Kunsa chôngjôn
wiwônhoe p’yôllam: che 6 chip, 2006, p. 199. During the 1990s, 15 civilians and 47
soldiers died in mine accidents. The number of injured men was 38 and 64
respectively. From Cho (“Chiroe p’ihae!,” pp. 444, 445-6) who quotes figures in
the report announced by the Korea Campaign to Ban Landmines on January 15,
2003. In sharp contrast, in 1997 Choi wrote in “Hanbando-esô-ûi chôkpôphan
chiroe sayong-ûn pojangtwae-ya handa” (p. 100) that mine fields were thoroughly
supervised by soldiers and that their positions were well recorded. Since marking
of mines was clear and control over civilians was well implemented, there were no
civilian injuries. Feigenbaum wrote in “Korea United” (op. cit., 2001) that since
most mines were concentrated in well-designated ‘fields’ along the DMZ and
surrounding areas, they did not affect farming and industry. The nature of the
mine problem in North Korea was unknown.
314 Peace-keeping in the Korean Peninsula