Experiences in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) · Experiences in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Dr. Jae-Kyong Chun Head of Research Center, Korea Legislation Research Institute

Experiences in the Korean

Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

Dr. Jae-Kyong Chun

Head of Research Center, Korea Legislation Research Institute

Hwang Eun-ju

Director, National Nature Trust (in Korea)

Experiences in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

1. Special character and situation of the Korean DMZ

2. Lessons learned or to be learned from Green Belt

in Germany and Europe

3. Future perspectives of the DMZ

4. Expectations on sharing experiences between the European

Green Belt and the Korean DMZ



Korean War in 25. Jun. 1950

Armistice Agreement

on the Korean Peninsula of 1953 by the UN Command,

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea(DPRK) , China



The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

between Republic of Korea (South) & DPRK (North).

Length - 248km (155miles) long east to west.

Width- 4km (2.5 miles)

2km each in southern & northern part.

Area - 907 ㎢

NLL: Northern Limited Line

MDL: Military Demarcation Line

SLL: Southern Limited Line

CCL: Civilian Controlled Line



‘A military demarcation line shall be fixed and both sides shall withdraw

two (2) kilometres from this line so as to establish a demilitarized zone

between the opposing forces. A demilitarized zone shall be established as a

buffer zone to prevent the occurrence of incidents which might lead to a

resumption of hostilities’.

According to the Armistice Agreement (1953), the purposes and limits of the MDL

and the DMZ are as following.


Experiences in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Experiences in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)

It has been hindering the DMZ area from its

sustainable development.

For 60 years,

no public access has been allowed

meanwhile, tension has built up around the

DMZ.


1. Special character and situation of the DMZ

2. Lessons learned or to be learned from the Green Belt




Green Belt & the Korean DMZ



Korean Peninsula Trust Process

Step 1. Providing humanitarian aid to North Korea.

Step 2. Low-level inter-Korean Economic

Cooperation such as agricultural plantation.

Step 3. Large-scale infrastructure investment

in transportation and communications.


Housing development,

Intensification of agriculture and forestry,

Railway and road construction,

Farming, landslides and forest fires.

.

.

.

If appropriate policies were not prepared before the unification of South and North Korea,

what will happen to the DMZ ?


German Reunification in 1990 ~ 1996

Nationalization

1996 ~ 2005

Privatization (Retrocession, Disposal)

2005 ~

Communization

(Public sectors, NGOs, local communities)

Grünes Band


Success factors and challenges of the German Green Belt governance.

Suk Kyung SHIM (2011) Governance of the German Green Belt Ecological Network

Implications for the Korean Demilitarized Zone, p.138.


Implication for the Korean DMZ.

19.Jul.2013 ~

DMZ Global Trust










The northern part of DMZ is wholly owned

and managed by the North Korea government.

On the other hand, 40% of the southern parts

are privately owned.


Lack of conservation activities ;

Military tensions ;

Negligence on protecting nature...

Restricted public access ;

Political race among the

big countries around

Korea ;

Threatened ecosystem in DMZ.


DM

Z

Ecolog

y

Peac

e

Histor

y

“Such areas like the Cheorwon plain, located

in DMZ, has a significant meaning in terms

of the its geographical and ecological aspects.”

Jorgen Fiebig Team manager, Production and Collection Birds

Specimens Department.

Naturkunde Museum Berlin

“DMZ area shows the pain and tragedy of

the Korean War, meanwhile, a significant

ecological value as being called repository

of nature resources.”

Julia Marton-Lefèvre Director General, IUCN

“Scientists estimate that over 1,600 types of

vascular plants and more than 300 species

of mushrooms, fungi and lichen are thriving

in the DMZ.

Mammals such as the rare Amurgoral,

Asiatic black bear, musk deer and spotted

seal inhabit the DMZ's land and marine

ecosystems.”

The Guardian, Apr 13, 2012


■ Potentiality of the DMZ Biosphere Reserve (BR).

□ ‘Ecological Treasure’

4,432 wildlife including 68 endangered species inhabit in DMZ & CCZ.

Conservation Sustainable development Logistic support for scientific

research and education

□ Unique biological & cultural resources

(Shim 2011 cited in Shin et al. 2007a: 6; Shin et al. 2007b: IV-6)

- 3 Natural monuments (11,444ha).

- 7 forest reserve for genetic resources (20,819ha).

- 2 ecosystem conservation areas (Ramsar wetland sites).

54%

7%

18%

9%

10% 1% 1% Forest

Agricultural land

Grassland

Waters

Bare land

Wetlands

Others

Paju

Yeoncheon

Cheorwon

Hwacheon

Inje

Yanggu

Goseong

Core Area Buffer

Zone

Transition

Zone


Cheolwon Plain

is a cultural landscape in rice fields which refers to

habitats of migratory birds such as Red-crowned Cranes

and White-naped Cranes.

Wetland area in the mouth of the Imjin River and

the Han River

is inhabited by various birds.

Tidal flat area around the Ganghwa Island

is habitats for the endangered species such as Black-

faced Spoonbills .










DMZ

Proposal for the making of

the DMZ Green Belt Partnership

“To support conservation of the unique biological and cultural resources of Korea's Demilitarized Zone.”


DMZ Global Trust


“We can start to grow peace, to grow trust.” by President Park, reported by the Washington Post

South Korean President Park Geun-hye in the U.S Congress (May 8, 2013).

"I will remain steadfast in pushing forward a process of

trust- building on the Korean peninsula. I'm confident that

trust is the path to peace, the path to a Korea that is whole

again.”

“I call on America and the global community to join us

in seeking the promise of a new day. It will be a zone of

peace, bringing together not just the Koreans separated

by a military line, but also the citizens of the world."

“The Demilitarised Zone must live up to its name, a zone

that strengthens the peace, not undermines it. It is with this

vision in mind that I hope to work toward an international

park inside the DMZ. It will be a park that sends a

message of peace to all of humanity.”


Legal Limitations to the proposal for DMZ Green Belt

2) Public

participation

Due to a lack of funds, it is hard to purchase the

private lands by government itself.

National Nature Trust (NNT) has to lead the

public to participate in transforming private lands

within the DMZ into commons for our peaceful

future.

1) Land ownership

in the DMZ

To settle down the pressure of land use or

development, the private lands equivalent to 40%

of the whole lands of DMZ should be gradually

turned into commons.

According to the Nature Conservation Act, the

DMZ will be preserved as Nature-reserve Area

only during 2 years after Korean unification.


Legal Limitations to the proposal (continued).

4) Needs for the

future generation

The southern part of the DMZ has officially been

controlled by the UN commander. However, the

area is not under jurisdiction thereof in terms of

nature conservation matters.

Some private lands of DMZ might be preserved for

the future generations through the trust system of

which trustee is the National Nature Trust in Korea.

3) DMZ

Global Trust (GT)

The National Trust Act of 2006 was enacted by the

petition of civil society in Korea.

NNT is now about to launch the ‘DMZ GT’ which

refers to campaign for switching the private lands

in the DMZ (including the CCZ) into the commons

through the internal as well as global beneficiary

fund from 27 July 2013.


The Structure of DMZ Global Trust (GT)

1. Status of the DMZ GT Network

: environmental network on the DMZ

2. Goal of the DMZ GT Network

: preservation of the DMZ green belt

3. Management System

: governance between Government and NGO

(National Nature Trust plus NGOs)

4. Finance

: DMZ fund plus the governmental subsidy

5. Legal System

: trust [trustor + trustee + beneficiary]

6. International Cooperation

: share of experience and technical assistance


Paradigm Shift of the DMZ management: from a symbol of conflicts to a place of eco-peace.

Whereas the DMZ hitherto served to remind the

Korean people and the world of the lasting legacy

of military conflicts; henceforth it may become a

conservation symbol for the future generations.

The Ministry of Environment in Korea will hold

the international conference for eco-peace of DM

Z on 19~21 July 2013 in Seoul, Korea. National

Nature Trust will join this conference and prepare

some programs.

National Nature Trust wants that every person

who worries about the fate of future generations

might donate small money to buy step by step the

private lands in the DMZ and to make the eco-

peace thereon.

The political situation of the Korean peninsular is still unstable on account of the military tension. However, we should not give up the endeavor to preserve the potential green belt between the South and North Korea.

The DMZ green belt (not yet designated) is the threshold of eco-corridor of the Korean Peninsular and the DMZ wetlands are habitats of migratory birds in the course of the East Asian-Australian Flyway[EAAF].

What shall we do on the Korean DMZ? We might remind such remarks of Baruch de Spinoza that “even if the world comes to the end tomorrow, I would also plant an apple tree today.” Would you like to join us for making together hope in the Korean DMZ?

Documents

Experiences in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) · Experiences in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) Dr. Jae-Kyong Chun Head of Research Center, Korea Legislation Research Institute