Military Readjustment

[Anchor Lead]

An inter-Korean military agreement signed last month on halting all hostile activities on land, sea and in the air is taking effect starting Thursday. The South Korean military has readjusted its defense readiness posture in line with the changes taking place in regards to training areas and methods.

[Pkg]

Starting Thursday, the two Koreas are suspending all military hostilities in all spaces of land, sea and air. First on land, the two Koreas will create a five-kilometer-wide buffer zone from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and suspend artillery training exercises. Three out of 40 shooting ranges operated by the South Korean Army will be affected, and the sites will be relocated farther away from the MDL. Marine Corps drills involving the K9 self-propelled howitzers will instead be held on ground sites, in efforts to keep up combat power. This will affect some anti-North reconnaissance missions using unmanned aircraft. But next year, Seoul will introduce four units of the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle. The global Hawk can conduct surveillance even outside no-fly zones as its radar and infrared detection systems enable monitoring from a 300 kilometer distance.

[Soundbite] Jeong Kyeong-doo(Minister of Defense) : "I'd like to make it clear that buffer zones on land, sea and in the air does not create a vacuum in our security posture."

North Korea has also formally expressed its stance to faithfully implement the suspension of hostilities. The South Korean military has positively assessed that the North is carrying out the military agreement but also vowed to maintain its defense posture of the same standard as before concerning potential threats.