DPRK Asks Australia to Quit the MAC

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 27, 2001

DPRK Asks Australia to Quit the MAC

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has asked Australia to quit the Military Armistice Commission that formally supervises the Korean truce, a high-ranking Seoul government official said Monday.

"Ryu Yong-chol, vice director of the DPRK Ministry of People's Armed Forces, made the request to a high-ranking Australian diplomat Oct. 23 in Beijing," the official said. "It is not known how the Australian counterpart responded."

Mr. Ryu reportedly contended that since Pyeongyang and Canberra enjoy normal diplomatic relations, Australia should not serve its term on the MAC. DPRK and Australia resumed relations in May 2000 after a 25-year hiatus.

The Military Armistice Commission is supposed to settle violations through negotiations, while another panel, the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, is to maintain a presence in both Koreas to show that the cease-fire remains in force.

The North proposes to replace this machinery with a peace system that would require withdrawal of the 37,000 U.S. troops on South Korean soil.

"The North is expected to extend the request to other nations that it has recently established diplomatic relations with, such as the Philippines," the official said.

The Military Armistice Commission

The Military Armistice Commission (MAC) initially was a 10-member commission. Five representatives are appointed by the United Nations Command. Two of these are from the South Korean army, one from the United States and one from Britain. Eight nations, among them Australia, the Philippines, Thailand and Canada, take six-month turns in rotation. The other five members are appointed by the DPRK People's Army and China, but they quit in 1994, when DPRK set up its own "Panmunjom Representative Office of DPRK People's Army" in Gaeseong. In February, 1995, Poland was removed from the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission.

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