6·25전쟁 정전협정 상의 한강 하구 공동수역 설정 의미의 재조명

The Reflection of Establishment of Joint Han River Estuary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement

The Armistice Agreement established Demilitarized Zone for cessation of hostilities in Korea and the paragraph (5) of the agreement put Han River Estuary under joint use and allowed right of innocent passage to private vessels carrying residents near the river. However, there were hardly any private vessels sailing at Han River Estuary despite the signed agreement and military confrontations ensued in Demilitiarized Zone, Sea Demarcation Line and so forth. As the South attempted to occupy Han River Estuaries during the Korean war, it strongly objected to its joint use until Roh government changed its stance and promoted joint development of the area for easing inter-Korean tensions and reviving economic cooperation. The North also agreed to the establishment at Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Committee meetings and South-North Korea Summit in 2007. Although both sides came to an agreement, schemes to develop Han River Estuary are progressing slowly due to its relationship with Peace and Economic Cooperation Zone in the West Sea. As reflected in recent disputes over North Limit Line (NLL), public opinion in South Korea is against the establishment of the zone based on NLL. An armistice does not guarantee peace and Han River Estuary is in close proximity to Seoul. As such, two Koreas can undertake the joint development above establishing peace zones in the West Sea and Demilitarized Zone only when they can build mutual trust that military confrontations will be avoided in all circumstances.