by Judith Martin
05 September 2006
Four New Zealand Defence Force personnel are helping to keep a tenuous peace along the division between North and South Korea.
Colonel Tim Gall, New Zealand’s Defence Attaché in Seoul, serves both as an advisor and a liaison officer to the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC). Major Richard Anderson is UNCMAC’s assistant operations officer, Sub-Lieutenant Fraser Toulmin, RNZN, is assigned to the transportation Corridor West, and Lieutenant Nicholas Fisher, of the New Zealand Army, is responsible for monitoring activity in the eastern Transportation Corridor.
The Armistice between North and South Korea was signed in 1953. Three commissions were established to help monitor it. The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, which New Zealand is aligned to, was established to monitor the peace outside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a 241km long and four km wide buffer zone separating the opposing forces. Sixteen nations are involved in monitoring the Armistice.
As an advisor to UNCMAC Colonel Gall helps investigate Armistice violations, meets with senior United Nations Command (UNC) representatives, and participates in UNC exercises.
In his role with UNCMAC Major Anderson regularly monitors the DMZ, usually by vehicle or helicopter, and he also investigates and documents Armistice violations.
“Part of our job is to ensure the Republic of Korea soldiers monitoring the DMZ understand the Armistice Rules of Engagement, and that they comply with those rules. We try to ensure the commanders and their soldiers along the DMZ know the correct procedure should there be a violation, for example, if someone fires at their post.”
Violations can range from deaths and defections, to small arms fire and other hostile acts.
Sub-Lieutenant Toulmin and Lieutenant Fisher monitor activities along their assigned corridors. The Eastern Corridor was established mainly for tourists travelling north to visit the Mt Keumgang tourist resort, while the Western Corridor was built to allow the transportation of raw material and personnel to and from the huge Kaesong Industrial complex in North Korea.
Major Anderson, a Territorial Force soldier who is a lawyer in civilian life, says the mission is busy, especially as violations can happen at any time, and must be investigated. “One of the main hurdles is language difficulties. Other personnel find our New Zealand accents are at times difficult to understand, especially on the telephone, and we’re much the same with them. But the work is interesting, especially the monitoring and inspections, and seeing how different militaries operate.”
Ends