The United States opposes a plan by South and North Korea to set up a no-fly zone over their heavily fortified border, the latest sign of a rift between Seoul and its top ally, Reuters informed.
Washington and Seoul both publicly insist they are on the same page about dealing with Pyongyang, but behind the scenes, there are growing signs of disagreement as South and North Korea forge ahead with plans to defuse military tensions and rebuild economic ties, Reuters writes.
The military accord between the two Koreas, sealed during last month’s summit in Pyongyang, is one of the most concrete agreements between the neighbors this year. However, U.S. officials have raised concerns that it could undermine defense readiness and comes without substantial progress on denuclearization.
The pact includes a halt in “all hostile acts,” a no-fly zone around the border and a gradual removal of landmines and guard posts within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed his displeasure with the agreement during a phone call, South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said last week in a rare disclosure of discord between the allies.
Washington was not likely to openly protest against an inter-Korean initiative, Seoul officials said, but its deep involvement in sanctions enforcement and military operations give it leverage to delay or change the policy.
Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan declined to comment on the agreement but said the Department of defence backs efforts to reduce military tensions. The department “remains in full support of our diplomats as they work to achieve the verified denuclearization of the DPRK as agreed to by Chairman Kim [Jong-un],” Logan said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, South China Morning Post adds.
A spokesman at South Korea’s defence ministry said Seoul cooperates closely with Washington and the US-led United Nations Command (UNC).
South Korea has held more than 50 rounds of talks this year with the UNC, which oversees affairs in the DMZ, to facilitate the inter-Korean commitments but has not yet secured its full support, according to Baek Seung-joo, a lawmaker of the opposition Liberty Korea Party.
On Tuesday, North and South Korea held their first three-way talks with the UNC to discuss “practical” steps to facilitate the military pact, but did not announce any concrete measures, Seoul’s defence ministry said.
“They’re not even close to an agreed definition of ‘hostile acts’,” said Baek, who served as a vice defence minister in 2013-15. “The agreement would make it impossible to carry out air cover and overall exercises, and it would hurt the alliance’s reconnaissance capabilities.”
However, the UNC is taking a cautious approach so as not to kindle anti-US sentiment among a public supportive of the two Koreas’ push for peace, Baek said.
While maintaining that it remains in lockstep with Washington, the administration of South Korea’s Moon Jae-in has forged ahead with efforts to engage with the North, even as critics accused Moon of focusing on feel-good theatrics at the expense of progress.
Kim vowed to work toward denuclearization during his unprecedented June summit with President Donald Trump – but Pyongyang’s actions have fallen short of Washington’s demands for irreversible steps to scrap its arsenal, including a full disclosure of nuclear facilities and materials.
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