The United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC) was established in July 1953 at the end of the Korean War. [1] The mission of UNCMAC is to supervise the Military Armistice Agreement between the two Koreas along the 151 mile Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). [2] UNCMAC is headquartered in Seoul and Panmunjom. [3]
Between 1950-53 a coalition of forces from 21 nations fought to preserve the sovereignty of the Republic of Korea (ROK), following the invasion by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) under the United Nations flag in the Korean War. [4] The Korean War did not result in a decisive victory for either side, instead an Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953, bringing the active conflict to a close. The United Nations Command, established under the mandate of UN Security Council Resolution 83 and Resolution 84, represented the world's first attempt at collective security. [5]
The parties to conflict established the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) to manage the implementation of the terms of the armistice, to investigate alleged violations, to serve as an intermediary between the commanders of the opposing sides, and to settle through negotiation any violations of the Armistice Agreement. The MAC is a combined organisation consisting of ten senior military officers: five through UNC Commander appointment and five appointed by the commanders of the DPRK's Korean People's Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army.
The Armistice Agreement also established Secretariats on both sides to assist the MAC, as directed. The Secretariats continue to operate today and maintain an open line of communication to support maintenance of the terms of Armistice.
The first chief of staff was Major General John P. Daley, who later served as a commission member. [6] The first meeting of the MAC convened on 28 July 1953, with representatives from the UNC, the DPRK's Korean People's Army, and China's People's Volunteers Army. By 1991, the UNC Commander decided that timing was appropriate to designate a ROK military officer as the UNC's Senior Member to the MAC and as the Commander's lead delegate for maintenance and enforcement of the Korean Armistice Agreement. The decision came in part to facilitate inter-Korean engagement at a time when the two governments were seeking rapprochement. By then, the MAC had met over 450 times, but the KPA refused to hold any further MAC meetings with a ROK officer as the Senior Member. By 1994, the PVA formally removed its delegates from the MAC, though the KPA maintains a delegation within the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom. All the while, UNC has maintained its position that its lead delegate for the Commission should be an ROK officer.
The UNC Commander continues to appoint five individuals to the MAC. The current composition is one ROK Major General as Senior Member, one U.S. Major General, one British Brigadier, one ROK Brigadier General, and one rotating (on a six-month basis) Senior Officer from other countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey) that maintain liaison with the UNC. The Senior Member continues to play an important role in Armistice maintenance and enforcement, including the issuance of directives for special investigations in response to alleged Armistice violations.
The Korean War was fought between North Korea and South Korea from 1950 to 1953. It began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea and ceased after an armistice on 27 July 1953. The north was supported by China and the Soviet Union while the south was supported by United Nations (UN) forces led by the United States.
Panmunjom, also known as Panmunjeom, now located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea or Panmun-guyok, Kaesong, North Korea, was a village just north of the de facto border between North and South Korea, where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement that ended the Korean War was signed. The building where the armistice was signed still stands.
The Military Demarcation Line (MDL), sometimes referred to as the Armistice Line, is the land border or demarcation line between North Korea and South Korea. On either side of the line is the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The MDL and DMZ were established by the Korean Armistice Agreement.
Wonsu is the highest military rank in the armed forces of North Korea and South Korea.
Located in the Joint Security Area (JSA), the so-called "Bridge of No Return" crosses the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) between North Korea and South Korea.
The Joint Security Area is the only portion of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where North and South Korean forces stand face-to-face. The JSA is used by the two Koreas for diplomatic engagements and, until March 1991, was also the site of military negotiations between North Korea and the United Nations Command (UNC).
The Korean DMZ Conflict, also referred to as the Second Korean War by some, was a series of low-level armed clashes between North Korean forces and the forces of South Korea and the United States, largely occurring between 1966 and 1969 along the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).
The Northern Limit Line or North Limit Line (NLL) – 북방한계선 – is a disputed maritime demarcation line in the Yellow (West) Sea between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south. This line of military control acts as the de facto maritime boundary between North and South Korea.
United Nations Command is the multinational military force established to support the Republic of Korea during and after the Korean War. It was the first international unified command in history, and the first attempt at collective security pursuant to the Charter of the United Nations.
Operation Big Switch was the repatriation of all remaining prisoners of the Korean War. Ceasefire talks had been going on between the North Korean, Chinese and United Nations Command (UNC) forces since 1951, with the main point of contention being the repatriation of all prisoners to their home countries, in accordance with Article 118 of the 1949 Geneva Convention. China and North Korea wanted prisoners to be compulsorily repatriated as outlined by the Geneva Convention but the UNC insisted that prisoners who wished to remain where they were be allowed to do so. After talks dragged on for two years, the Chinese and North Koreans relented on this point, and the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on 27 July 1953.
The Korean axe murder incident was the killing of two United Nations Command officers, Captain Arthur Bonifas and First Lieutenant Mark Barrett, by North Korean soldiers on August 18, 1976, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The officers, from the United States Army, had been part of a work party cutting down a poplar tree in the JSA.
The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) was established by the Korean Armistice Agreement signed 27 July 1953, declaring an armistice in the Korean War. It is, with the Military Armistice Commission, part of the mechanism regulating the relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea.
The Special Operations Command Korea or SOCKOR, the United States (U.S.) Theater Special Operations Command (TSOC) in the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a Sub-Unified Command assigned under the Combatant Command (CCMD) of United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), who delegated Operational Command (OPCON) of SOCKOR to the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) Commander, who further delegated OPCON of SOCKOR to the United States Forces Korea (USFK) Commander.
The Battle of Kumsong, also known as the Jincheng Campaign, was one of the last battles of the Korean War. During the ceasefire negotiations seeking to end the Korean War, the United Nations Command (UNC) and Chinese and North Korean forces were unable to agree on the issue of prisoner repatriation. South Korean President Syngman Rhee, who refused to sign the armistice, released 27,000 North Korean prisoners who refused repatriation. This action caused an outrage among the Chinese and North Korean commands and threatened to derail the ongoing negotiations. As a result, the Chinese decided to launch an offensive aimed at the Kumsong salient. This would be the last large-scale Chinese offensive of the war, scoring a victory over the UNC forces.
The Korean Armistice Agreement is an armistice that brought about a cessation of hostilities of the Korean War. It was signed by United States Army Lieutenant General William Harrison Jr. and General Mark W. Clark representing the United Nations Command (UNC), North Korea leader Kim Il Sung and General Nam Il representing the Korean People's Army (KPA), and Peng Dehuai representing the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA). The armistice was signed on 27 July 1953, and was designed to "ensure a complete cessation of hostilities and of all acts of armed force in Korea until a final peaceful settlement is achieved."
Operation Pokpung was the military invasion of the Republic of Korea (ROK) by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) that triggered the Korean War. The DPRK military began the offensive by crossing the 38th parallel north and entering ROK territory at 04:00 PYT/KST on 25 June 1950; the DPRK government did not issue any declaration of war before the invasion.
The Ulchin-Samcheok landings was an unsuccessful attempt by North Korea to establish guerrilla camps in the Taebaek Mountains on October 30, 1968, in order to topple Park Chung-hee's regime and bring about the reunification of Korea.
United Nations Command–Rear is a military command headquartered in Japan, and a subordinate element of United Nations Command. UN Command–Rear was established in 1957 as a result of the relocation of UN Command from Japan to South Korea following the Korean War. It is in control of the rear elements the United Nations Command.
The Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Reunification of the Korean Peninsula was adopted between the President of the Republic of Korea (ROK), Moon Jae-in and the President of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, on 27 April 2018, during the 2018 inter-Korean Summit on the South Korean side of the Peace House in the Joint Security Area.
Lee Hyung-geun was a South Korean military officer and diplomat. A four-star general in the Republic of Korea Army, he later served as an ambassador (1961–1967).