Defense Ministry to shrink restricted-access zone near DMZ in bid to ease daily lives of residents

The Ministry of National Defense will ease civilian access to regions closer to the border with North Korea, lifting some regulations that have been in place since the 1950-53 Korean War in a bid to alleviate the burden of those living in border towns.

"We have drawn up a plan to adjust the Civilian Control Line so that we can secure operating conditions inside it while responding to a future of declining military personnel," Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said in a briefing in Seoul on Wednesday. The plan has been cast as part of the Lee Jae Myung administration's push to loosen military rules for communities near the heavily fortified frontier, according to Ahn. 

At the heart of the plan is the civilian control line (CCL), the boundary demarcating an area that civilians need military permission to enter. It is set below the military demarcation line (MDL), the line that runs through the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas. The CCL is now an average of 8 kilometers (5 miles) south of the MDL, some two miles short of the legal maximum.

The ministry's plan is now to move the CCL north to an average of 6 kilometers, downgrading around 270 square kilometers (104 square miles) of land to the restricted protection zone (RPZ), a less-regulated area where landowners can build on their land or change the property designation after consulting with the military.

The government will also relocate guard posts and install perimeter fences and CCTV cameras to maintain readiness in phases from next year, with Seoul covering the full cost of moving the line, an expense local governments had previously shouldered.

"The cost of adjusting the civilian control line, which local governments used to bear, will be covered in full by the central government as special compensation for bearing a special burden [of living near the DMZ]," Ahn said.

The ministry will also rework the standard for the restricted zone, which runs 10 to 24 kilometers south of the demarcation line. Currently, the zone includes areas that are not tactically important, according to the ministry, which would allow it to narrow the boundaries and reflect actual operational needs. The revised criteria would allow regional development where it does not interfere with military operations with the release of about 450 square kilometers, according to the minister.

The figures are estimates drawn from maps and could change once terrain surveys and unit-level reviews are completed, a ministry official said. CCL classification may even be restored for some areas if the security situation dictates, the official added.

The ministry will tear down military obstacles that snarl traffic in border areas, starting with 23 sites in the Gyeonggi cities of Yangju and Paju next year. Local governments have asked for the removal of the structures — including antitank walls, field obstacles and road barriers designed to slow an enemy armored advance — which the military has judged to be of negligible effectiveness for the time being.

From next year, the ministry will also introduce a mobile app and simple digital authentication for admittance past the CCL, replacing an in-person, paper-based system blamed for long waits and administrative delays. It will sharply simplify flight approvals for agricultural drones in border areas and give local governments information on unused military land twice a year.

The measures have led to years of complaints from residents of northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon, who have pressed the government to soften the rules. At a town hall in Gangwon last September, President Lee Jae Myung promised to ease border restrictions, saying that "special sacrifices require special compensation." That same month, Ahn said he would consider pulling up the CCL to as little as 5 kilometers in some areas.

Still, some inside and outside the military have warned that a smaller control zone would force the army to readjust its guard posture and could require more manpower and equipment. With the line farther north, they say, the military might struggle to respond quickly to sudden incidents such as attempts to cross into North Korea.

"If the civilian control line moves north, blind spots for surveillance equipment will grow, and the military will have less time for an initial response to border crossings in either direction," said Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. "There is also a chance that operational security could be exposed."

An official from the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the plan had been devised after a close review of terrain and operational plans in each area, along with how the military would maintain control and respond if an incident occurred.

BY SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]