09-151.pdf

2.1 Introduction
The starting point here is the 1953 Armistice Agreement. The
first section presents in particular the paragraphs that define the tasks
of the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) and the Neutral Nations
Supervisory Commission (NNSC). Some basic data on the agreement
are recorded. Otherwise, relevant paragraphs are presented in contexts
when the parties have referred to them. The following sections give an
account of the Commissions’ work from 1953-56 and their interaction.
The implementation of the agreement was strongly affected by
the political environment in which it took place. Consequently, three
issues of equal importance are investigated. First, what was the legacy
of the Korean War? Second, were the agreement’s provisions followed
or not? Thirdly, how did the policies pursued by North Korea, China,
South Korea and the United States affect the Commissions’ work?
In order to analyze these complex and interrelated issues, data
are presented on such issues as armistice violations raised at MAC
meetings and assessments of the Commissions’ work. Evaluations of
the Armistice Agreement are included. In the case of both the MAC
and the NNSC, great consideration is given to the Commissions’
composition and the impact it had on their work. Equal attention is
given to the policies pursued by both parties and the interaction
between them, in order to present a fair and balanced view of developments.
With this background, the following section deals with the end
of NNSC inspections in 1956 due to the suspension by the United
Nations Command (UNC) of the paragraphs in the Armistice Agreement
pertaining to the Commission. Why the paragraphs were sus-
16 Peace-keeping in the Korean Peninsula