Page 311 - 2020 Defence White Paper

2. Establishment of a Peace Regime on the Korean Peninsula and
Arms Control

Establishment of a Peace Regime

Since the conclusion of the Armistice
Agreement in 1953, many confronta-
tions and tensions have caused insta-
bility on the Korean Peninsula. Without
peace, neither security nor the econo-
my is guaranteed. Therefore, "peaceful President Moon’s keynote speech at the UN
coexistence" is a vision and task that General Assembly (September 2019)
needs to be achieved as a top priority.
President Moon Jae-in, through the "Berlin Initiative" in July 2017, declared the
pursuit of a complete denuclearization and the conclusion of a peace treaty as a
comprehensive approach towards the North Korea nuclear issue and a peace regime.
With North Korea responding to the ROK government’s willingness to establish a
peace regime, the leaders of the two Koreas agreed in the Panmunjom Declaration
on April 27, 2018 to "cooperate actively in building a permanent and stable peace
regime on the Korean peninsula". Afterwards, while the leaders of the two Koreas
and the US continued their discussions on establishing a peace regime and achieving
denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through a series of talks, President Moon
proposed the "transformation of the DMZ into an international peace zone" through
3)
a keynote speech delivered before the UN General Assembly on September 24, Chapter 8
2)
2019. At the UN General Assembly Plenary, President Moon emphasized that the The state wherein the
armistice agreement is
ROK government will cooperate closely with the international community to pave replaced by a peace treaty
and sufficient mutual trust
the way for complete denuclearization and a permanent peace regime on the Korean is built to ensure solid
peace legally, institutionally,
Peninsula by ceasing hostile activities in the border areas and transforming the and realistically
DMZ into a symbol of peace. This signifies the commitment to transform the DMZ, 3)
a symbol of cold war confrontation, into a zone of true peace and reconciliation In connection with the
"transformation of DMZ
together with the international community through efforts to build trust between the into an international peace
zone" set forth in the CMA,
two Koreas and participation and support of the international community. the ROK proposed that the
international community
Amid these efforts towards a transformation to a peace regime on the Korean make efforts and provide
assurance for building
Peninsula, the MND is managing the military situation on the Korean Peninsula confidence between the
ROK and North Korea
in a stable manner by complying with the Armistice Agreement in good faith, through the participation
of specialized international
maintaining a robust ROK–US military alliance, and implementing the CMA. organizations, in addition
to the two Koreas, for mine
The establishment of military trust between the two Koreas through the faithful removal.

Chapter 8. Military Support for the Settlement of Peace on the Korean Peninsula 309