Page 6 - 2020 Defence White Paper

the NLL.
As such, military tension between the two Koreas has been drastically abated as the West Sea—which
had been subject to tensions and conflicts due to armed conflicts caused by North Korea’s provocations
such as the Battle of Yeonpyeong, Battle of Daecheong, sinking of ROKS Cheonan, and Artillery Battle
on Yeonpyeong-which has transformed into a sea of peace after the conclusion of CMA.
As a result, the ROK government obtained additional fishing area that is 84 times (245ɞ) the area of
Yeouido in addition to the existing fishing area near the five West Sea islands, and allowed extended
night fishing hours by one hour in 2019 for the first time since night fishing was prohibited in 1964. The
government also lit up the lighthouse on Yeonpyeong Island for the first time in 45 years since 1974,
guaranteeing the safe passage of ROK ships navigating the waters near Yeonpyeong Island. Such
expansion of fishing area and extension of fishing hours have dramatically increased the catch of
fishermen around the five West Sea islands, thereby contributing to increase in revenue.
In the air, no-fly zones have been established for each type of aircraft around the MDL to fundamentally
preclude any possibility of accidental clashes between the two sides. In the past, North Korean UAV had
intruded the ROK’s airspace more than 10 times, but the two Koreas have not made any unannounced
flights within the no-fly zone, with no cases of North Korean operation of UAV for reconnaissance and
surveillance purpose since the CMA. Under the CMA, however, the ROK Armed Forces has deployed a
total of 180 helicopters in the no-fly zone to extinguish forest fires and transport emergency patients after
notifying North Korea.
Since the conclusion of the CMA, military stability has been maintained on the ground, at sea, and in
the air thanks to the faithful implementation of measures to cease all mutual hostilities at the contact
areas.
Accordingly, while maintaining a firm military readiness posture, the ROK Armed Forces will steadfastly
work hard to prevent any military personnel and citizens of the ROK from falling victim to armed conflicts
in the contact areas of the two Koreas.

| Pilot Withdrawal of GPs from Both Sides | The withdrawal of GPs inside the DMZ under the CMA is
a military measure to transform the heavily armed DMZ into an actual demilitarized zone, thereby fulfilling
the purpose of the Armistice Agreement in 1953. The two Koreas agreed to withdraw all GPs inside the
DMZ and, as a pilot measure, concurred to withdraw their GPs that are within a kilometer of each other.
In accordance with the agreement, in November 2018, the two Koreas withdrew 11 GPs inside the DMZ
on a trial basis, and each side agreed to preserve one GP on each side without completely destroying it
considering the historical symbolism and preservation value. In December of the same year, an inter-
Korean joint verification group was organized for the first time in history to visit each GP where troops

3) No-fly zones by type of aircraft and region: fixed-wing aircraft (20km to the west and 40 km to the east), rotary-wing
aircraft (10km), UAV (10km to the west and 15km to the east), and hot-air balloons (25km).

2020 Defense White Paper