Latest news with #UnitedNationsCommand
UPI
12 hours ago
- Politics
- UPI
Seoul asks North Korea to respond to repatriation plan
SEOUL, July 29 (UPI) -- Seoul's Unification Ministry on Tuesday publicly called for Pyongyang to respond to its plan to repatriate the remains of a North Korean national that was discovered on the southern side of the inter-Korean border. South Korean authorities found a body believed to be that of a North Korean citizen on June 21 off the coast of Seongmodo Island in the Yellow Sea, the ministry spokesperson's office said in a statement sent to reporters. The government plans to repatriate the remains next Tuesday via the truce village of Panmunjom inside the DMZ, the ministry said, urging the North to respond through an inter-Korean hotline that it has not used since April 2023. "Given the severed inter-Korean communication lines, sending a notice to North Korea is difficult," the ministry said in a message directed to Pyongyang. "Therefore, we are informing you of the contents of this notice through the media." The North Korean man was born in 1988 and was a farm worker in North Hwanghae Province, the ministry said, citing an identification card found on the body. Earlier this month, the South repatriated six North Koreans across the maritime border in the East Sea, months after they drifted into southern waters and were rescued. The North did not respond to any of Seoul's notification efforts about that repatriation plan, which were made via the U.S.-led United Nations Command. However, North Korea sent vessels to the border to retrieve the citizens. Seoul's Unification Ministry also recently used a press briefing to request that the North give advance notice before releasing water from a dam across the border. Ministry spokeswoman Chang Yoon-jeong called the public appeal a form of "indirect communication" with Pyongyang. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has pledged to improve inter-Korean relations, which have deteriorated sharply in recent years after a period of diplomatic progress in 2018-19. Shortly after taking office last month, Lee suspended propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts at the DMZ and cracked down on activists floating balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. North Korea has rebuffed any efforts at rapprochement, however. On Monday, Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said that Pyongyang had "no interest" in engaging with Seoul.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Saluting the sacrifice of UNC veterans
Five foreign veterans of the United Nations Command who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War were greeted with a standing ovation from a crowd of over 1,000 at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where a ceremony was held to mark UN Forces Participation Day, observed annually on July 27. The national day of remembrance to honor the sacrifices and contributions of UN veterans also marks the date when the armistice agreement was signed to halt the Korean War in 1953. Throughout the three-year conflict, more than 1.9 million personnel from 22 countries served under the UNC flag, providing combat, medical and logistical support. During the ceremony, the South Korean government posthumously presented the Order of Taegeuk Military Merit, the country's highest military honor, to the late US veteran Fred McGee. From January to November 1952, McGee served in the US Army as a private first class with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Prime Minister Kim Min-seok entered the venue pushing the wheelchair of a veteran who had difficulty walking. 'Our alliance has grown stronger, and together we will continue moving toward a future of peace and prosperity,' Kim said during his speech. 'Despite the sacrifices made by the UN forces and our own efforts 75 years ago, the pain of division still lingers,' he added, pledging to expand scholarship programs and exchange camps for the descendants of Korean War veterans.
Korea Herald
7 days ago
- General
- Korea Herald
Seoul to host UNC veterans, families to pay tribute to Korean War service
Veterans of the United Nations Command forces who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War and their families are to visit South Korea at the invitation of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, the ministry said Wednesday. The visit, scheduled from Thursday to Monday, is part of a commemoration of the UN Forces Participation Day, observed annually on July 27. A total of 55 participants are attending, including six veterans, 21 bereaved family members and 26 leaders of veterans associations from the 15 countries that participated in the war under the UNC flag. Throughout the three-year conflict, more than 1.9 million personnel from 22 countries served under the UNC flag, providing combat, medical and logistical support. As part of the event, the South Korean government will posthumously award the country's highest military honor, the Order of Taegeuk Military Merit, to the late US veteran Fred McGee. Then a US Army Pfc. McGee served from January to November 1952 as a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Even after his squad withdrew, McGee remained behind to assist in evacuating the wounded and dead bodies, according to the ministry. His daughter Victoria Seacrest is visiting Korea on his behalf, as McGee passed away in 2020 at the age of 89. Among the veterans visiting is 97-year-old Harold Simlak, the oldest in the group. He served from April to December 1951 as a US Army private first class in the 1st Cavalry Division and fought in the Battle of Hill 328 near Waegwan-eup, North Gyeongsang Province. Other visiting veterans include two Americans: Malcolm Williamson, who served from December 1950 to October 1954 as a petty officer aboard the USS Thompson, and Roy Hakuo Yamashiroya, who served from March to July 1953 as a private first class in the 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division of the US Marine Corps. Also attending are Clifford Pearson from the United Kingdom, who served from March 1953 to August 1956 as a sergeant in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers; Alphonse Martel from Canada, who served from November 1952 to November 1953 as a private in the Royal 22nd Regiment; and Estifanos Yimam from Ethiopia, who served in 1954 at guard posts along the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone. The ministry has also invited 94-year-old South Korean Lim Chang-soo, who sheltered US Army Master Sgt. Ralph Kilpatrick for 77 days after he was separated from his unit during a retreat from the Geumgang defensive line in Daejeon in 1950. Lim will be presented with a plaque of appreciation. 'The government and the people will always remember and honor the sacrifice and dedication of the heroes who risked their lives to defend the Republic of Korea,' said Veterans Minister Kang Jung-ai. 'Through a range of international veteran support programs, Korea will continue to strengthen its solidarity with the countries that contributed troops to the United Nations Command,' she added.
Japan Times
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Little-known U.N. Command bases in Japan play a critical security role in Asia
It is a curious point that seven U.S. military bases in Japan fly the United Nations flag. While the reason is rooted in history, its significance for peace on the Korean Peninsula, and with it in the rest of Northeast Asia, is as important today as it has ever been. From Futenma, Kadena and White Beach in Okinawa to Sasebo on Kyushu and Yokota and Yokosuka on Honshu — these flags indicate bases across Japan designated for multinational usage. Alongside the U.S., their operations are overseen by a small but important headquarters west of Tokyo that is part of the United Nations Command (UNC) force structure established in 1950 to support South Korea during the Korean War. It's called the UNC's rear area headquarters — or UNC-Rear — and the roles it plays could prove crucial in the event of a renewed breakout of hostilities on the peninsula as it would facilitate the flow of forces, assets and materiel from nine UNC member states through Japan. While not in command of military forces, the five-member team currently led by Royal Australian Air Force Group Capt. Andrew Johnson would support critical logistical operations through the seven U.S./UNC bases, all of which were designated by both Washington and Tokyo in the 1954 UNC-Japan Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). 'We prepare and plan for contingency operations and engage with UNC member states constantly so that they know how to access Japan under the SOFA and are familiar with the concept of defending the Korean Peninsula in times of crisis,' Johnson told The Japan Times in an exclusive interview at UNC-Rear's Yokota Air Base headquarters. 'We (UNC-Rear) don't own those forces,' he noted, 'but we can facilitate their entry into Japan and so they can prepare through a process known as RSOI — reception, staging, onward movement and integration — to become part of the fighting force.' UNC-Rear's mission remains as critical as ever, with North Korea improving its nuclear and missile development programs while deepening its military alliance with Russia. UNC-Rear commander, Royal Australian Air Force Group Capt. Andrew Johnson, at the UNC-Rear Command at Yokota Air Base in Fussa, Tokyo, on Tuesday. | GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ Last week, North Korea warned of 'grave consequences' should the United States, Japan and South Korea continue to 'deliberately ignore' its security concerns. The warning followed a recent joint aerial exercise by the three nations that featured at least one U.S. B-52 heavy bomber, marking the aircraft's first deployment to the Korean Peninsula this year. Amid the heightened tensions, Johnson stressed the importance of keeping destabilizing forces in the region at bay, with UNC keeping a laser focus on its main mission: to enforce the terms of the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement. 'The work that we do as a command, namely to be ready for a contingency or crisis at any moment, has become really important now,' the UNC-Rear director said. Part of the concern, he noted, is that there are already a number of potential flash points throughout the region. 'If North Korea looks like it could be the one triggering the region, then you'd want to make sure that you do everything to deter them as well as prevent any situation that may, for instance, exacerbate the Russian conflict in Ukraine, or whatever else might flow from it.' To maintain both readiness and preparedness, UNC member states regularly send ships, aircraft and personnel to the bases in Japan, rehearsing the procedures necessary to conduct missions during a contingency while also carrying out other activities such as monitoring United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang. However, despite operating under the U.N. Security Council mandate, the UNC is not a subsidiary or subordinate organization of the United Nations. The United Nations's rear area headquarters — also known as UNC-Rear — could prove crucial in the event of a renewed breakout of hostilities on the Korean Peninsula as it would facilitate the rapid flow of forces, assets and materiel from nine UNC member states through Japan. | GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ 'Even though it was established under U.N. Security Council Resolution 84, UNC is a multinational, United States-led command,' Johnson noted, explaining that as there is a standing mandate that does not require follow-on U.N. decision, 'no single country, including Russia or China, can block UNC activation in response to North Korean aggression.' That said, there is no defense treaty between the UNC's 18 member states that binds them to any specific military action in the event of a Korean contingency. Instead, the countries have committed to support the implementation of the armistice and, should North Korea renew hostilities on the Korean Peninsula, be 'united and prompt to resist.' How they do so, however, remains up to the individual governments. 'There is no obligation,' Johnson said. 'Each member state can contribute in any way they want,' he added, pointing to the diverse range of capabilities each can bring to bear, be it in terms of troops, assets or technologies, including in areas such as cyber and space. Others might choose to contribute through financial or other nonlethal support such as logistics or medical aid, he said. Yet there is more to the UNC-Rear's role than logistics and contingency plans. 'From my vantage point, our mission is also to continue working closely with the Japanese government to support peace and security in Northeast Asia, which is in our nations' best interests,' Johnson said. 'We give them a broad outline of the types of UNC activities that are occurring so they're aware of both the flow and effect that these have on Japanese security.' 'The work that we do as a command, namely to be ready for a contingency or crisis at any moment, has become really important now,' Johnson said. | GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ Maintaining close relations with Japan is important not only with regard to the bases, but also the intermediate staging areas that UNC forces would be using in the event of a conflict. At the same time, the UNC-Rear coordinates requirements on behalf of the nine SOFA signatories with Tokyo while also relaying Japanese interests to the UNC headquarters in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, which has a staff of around 90 multinational personnel along with three other subordinate organizations such as the U.N. Command Military Armistice Commission. The much larger UNC, which marked its 75th anniversary this month, fulfills other roles, including co-administering the Korean Demilitarized Zone with the (North) Korean People's Army, building interoperability between allies and facilitating dialogue with North Korea. These roles have come into focus as Tokyo seeks to manage regional security challenges. While Japan hasn't joined UNC as a formal member state, cooperation with the command allows routine engagement with multinational forces and meaningful contributions to the effort to preserve peace on the Korean Peninsula. Experts say that UNC has played a quiet but consistent role over the years. While it has evolved with time, having an organization specifically dedicated to deterrence through a ready-made coalition has helped temper potential clashes and manage escalation in the region. They also say that UNC-Rear is a reminder of the important role that Japan plays in any Korean Peninsula conflict. The small multinational team is prepared to continue this decades-long work in collaboration with the Japanese government and other partners. 'We are in this for the security of Northeast Asia,' Johnson noted, 'so we do work towards the mutual outcome of peace and stability for the region.'
09-07-2025
- Politics
South Korea sends 6 rescued North Koreans back across sea border
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea sent six North Koreans back across the rivals' sea border on Wednesday morning, months after they drifted south in wooden boats in March and May. It came after months of failed efforts to contact North Korea to coordinate the repatriation of the six individuals, who officials say consistently expressed a desire to go back. Despite the lack of communication, a North Korean patrol boat appeared at the handover point as the six individuals headed back aboard a repaired wooden boat, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry. What would have been a routine event in years past was complicated by the North's decision to cut off communications with the South in recent years. North Koreans have occasionally drifted south in wooden boats before, sometimes accidentally and sometimes with the intention of defecting. In most previous cases, the two Koreas coordinated to send those who wished to turn back across the land border. South Korea twice informed the North of its intention to repatriate the North Koreans on Wednesday through the U.S.-led United Nations Command, but received no response, the ministry said. South Korean authorities are also investigating a North Korean man who crossed the heavily fortified land border between the Koreas on Friday and was taken into custody by South Korean troops. South Korean officials have not disclosed whether the man expressed a desire to settle in the South. North Korea has effectively suspended almost all diplomacy and direct communication with South Korea following the collapse of its nuclear negotiations with Washington in 2019. Relations between the Koreas have worsened since 2022 as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un used Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to accelerate his nuclear weapons and missile programs, while also sending troops and military equipment to support Russia's war effort. South Korea's previous conservative government responded to the growing North Korean threat by expanding combined military exercises with the United States and Japan, which the North condemned as invasion rehearsals. Border tensions have flared in recent months as the two Koreas traded Cold War-style psychological warfare, with North Korea sending thousands of trash-filled balloons toward the South and South Korea blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda through loudspeakers. Since taking office last month, South Korea's new liberal President Lee Jae Myung has made efforts to rebuild trust with North Korea, halting the frontline loudspeaker broadcasts and moving to ban activists from flying balloons carrying propaganda leaflets across the border.
