Page 317 - 2020 Defence White Paper

communication between ROK and
North Korean patrol ships using the
"international vessel communication
network" on July 1, 2018 as well as
through "exchanges of information on
illegal fishing boats of third countries"
on November 2. Although North Korea
unilaterally severed the military com- Inter-Korean working-level talks on communication
(June 2018)
munication lines on June 9, 2020, the
ROK Armed Forces remains ready to resume contact at any time upon any
improvement in inter-Korean relations. By utilizing the military communication
lines, the ROK Armed Forces has provided seamless support for various exchange
and cooperation projects which include the establishment and operation of the Joint
Liaison Office, separated families reunion events, and inter-Korean railways and
roads connection and modernization projects. Accordingly, the MND, making the
most of the military communication lines, will continue to play a pivotal role in not
only facilitating military assurance for inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation but
also effectively contributing to easing military tensions and building confidence.

2. Resolution of the ROK POW Issues

ROK POWs: Whereabouts, Following the return of the late First
Family Reunions, and Repatriation Lieutenant Cho Chang-ho in 1994, the Chapter 8
ROK government enacted a new law on
the ROK POWs detained in North Korea titled the "Act on the Repatriation,
Treatment of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces Prisoners of War" while preparing
government-wide measures to repatriate and support the POWs. Through inter-
Korean dialogue, the ROK government has continuously urged North Korea to assist
in its effort to determine the number of POWs who are still alive and repatriate them,
stressing that this is the foremost issue that needs to be addressed for the
reconciliation of the two sides and humanitarian concerns. As North Korea has
consistently denied the existence of POWs since the conclusion of the Armistice
Agreement, however, it is not easy to fundamentally resolve this issue.
Against this backdrop, 80 ROK POWs escaped North Korea on their own from
1994 to 2010. After 2011, however, there has been no return of ROK POWs due
to the old age of POWs and enhanced surveillance of North Korean authorities to

Chapter 8. Military Support for the Settlement of Peace on the Korean Peninsula 315