평화군축센터 미분류 2011-11-22   1332

[Issue Report] ‘The issues and alternatives of NLL: the West Sea, from powder keg to eco-peace zone on the Korean peninsula’ published

[Issue Report] ‘The issues and alternatives of NLL: the West Sea, from powder keg to eco-peace zone on the Korean peninsula’ published

– the background, origin and issues of NLL conflicts examined and peaceful solutions reviewed
– a miniature of the Division System, NLL in urgent need of peaceful settlement as are inter-Korean talks 
 – a switch to peace system called for through <A Civic Proposal for a Peace System of the Korean Peninsula> on November 23
It has been one year since the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo occurred last year. Yeonpyeong Attack, the first battle on land from the Korean War Armistice Agreement upward, reconfirmed that peace in the West Sea is a matter of great concern to monitor peace on the Korean Peninsula. Hence, the Center for Peace and Disarmament of The People’s Solidarity of Participatory Democracy(PSPD, President: Prof. LEE, Nam-ju of Sungkonghoe University) published a nineteen-page [Issue Report] The issues and alternatives of NLL: the West Sea, from powder keg to eco-peace zone on the Korean peninsula to examine the issues and alternatives of NLL, a result of the Cold War and miniature of the Division System.
 
This issue report stresses that it is desirable to request an apology for civilian casualties and an effort to prevent the recurrence regarding the shelling, but the search for peaceful solution to NLL should also not be ignored, or rather, Yeongpyeong Attack shows that the NLL issues are in urgent need of settlement. Otherwise, military conflicts in the West Sea are inevitable to happen again at any time, and the suffering of innocent soldiers and local residents on the five islands of the West Sea would be likely to last. If so, peace on the Korean peninsula would be swept away any time. Nonetheless, sharp military confrontation has unfortunately made it a flashpoint since last year without considerable effort to resolve the incident in a peaceful way. 
PSPD views that the settlement of NLL issues is seen as the touchstone of converting the Division system, which has been the whole terrifying ordeal to Koreans, into peace system. In this issue report, the background, origin and issues of NLL conflicts are examined and the existing peaceful solutions are reviewed. Above all, PSPD proposes that peaceful solution to the West Sea NLL be in urgent need to seek, based on the established inter-Korean agreements and talks, and urges that inter-Korean talks and negotiation concerning this matter be held soon. 
Also, PSPD announces <A Civic Proposal for a Peace System of the Korean Peninsula>(16page report), as a peace system with emphasis on the citizens’ initiatives and participation. This Korean peace system will build a consensus through discussion with all groups of civil society in the future.
 
The summary of the issue report is as below.
[Issue Report] ‘The issues and alternatives of NLL : the West Sea, from powder keg to eco-peace zone on the Korean peninsula’ 
– NLL is groundless in the Armistice Agreement, nor is a matter of territorial sea claim. The West Sea border which North Korea contends is also groundless in the Agreement. In the situation that both Korea comply with the 12 nautical-mile territorial sea regulation, the South has not ever declared that the five islands in the West Sea should be within its territory, and even some parts of the islands can be under the North’s territory by the same regulation. Neither is acceptable. Owing to this issue, military confrontation has occurred four times and the tension around NLL has been increasing as the rules of engagement were simplified and various high-tech weapons were recently deployed on the islands.
– It is true that the South, in practice, has jurisdiction over NLL. However, the North also contended that the NLL area should belong to its territory and refused to acknowledge NLL. The South admitted that NLL was not the exact demarcation of south-north boundary. Accordingly, diverse solutions for peaceful settlement had been proposed and attempted until the launch of the Lee administration in 2008 since the early nineties. However, this could not continue, and in 2009 and 2010 the military conflicts had been provoked recurrently in the West Sea along with the Lee administration’s hard-line policy. 
– At this point in time, one year after the shelling of Yeonpyeongdo inflicted even civilian casualties, NLL issues cannot be postponed. The government should cease fortifying the West Sea islands and deploying weapons on the area, which act as military deterrents against the North’s retaliation, instead restore crisis management system such as installing military hot-lines as soon as possible to avert accidental military conflicts. 
– In addition to this, the existing peaceful solutions on which were already agreed between the both, for instance, the idea of a West Sea special zone for peace and cooperation, the designation of a common fishery zone and a West Sea eco-peace park, should be promoted. And among various sectors including civil society should academic research and debate be conducted in this process. 
– Above all, settling the NLL issues which are a miniature of the Division System with peaceful solutions, means not only guaranteeing the right to exist and safety of local residents and soldiers on the five islands of the West Sea, but initiating Korean peace regime. In this regard, the government’s policy toward North Korea needs a big shift, as do great efforts at inter-Korean talks. 

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