Panmunjom tours suspended for more than 100 days...Ministry of Unification ``negotiations with United Nations Command to resume soon'' = South Korea

100 days have passed since tours of Panmunjom were suspended due to an incident in which a US soldier crossed the border into North Korea, and the Ministry of Unification announced that it will hold related discussions with the United Nations Command.
According to the Ministry of Unification and the United Nations Command on the 5th, no talks have even begun between the South Korean government and the United Nations Command regarding resuming the Panmunjom tour program. Jurisdiction over Panmunjom Joint Security Area (JSA)
On July 18, the United Nations Command announced that during the Panmunjom tour program, an incident occurred in which US soldier Travis King crossed the Military Demarcation Line into North Korea without permission, and the United Nations Command announced that the entire Panmunjom tour would be suspended.
I cut it off. Private First Class King was expelled from North Korea at the end of September through the efforts of the United States through the mediating country Sweden, and although one month has passed since his return to the United States, public tours are still suspended.
ing. However, the United Nations Command continued to hold its own events, such as Armistice Day, and resumed special tours for foreign guests.
Regarding the resumption date for public tours, an official from the United Nations Command said, ``Public tours have been suspended.
"As of now, we do not know when it will reopen." Before the incident in which Private King crossed the border into North Korea, the Panmunjom tour program was operated four days a week, six times a day.
The Panmunjom Visit Support Center, which runs a public tour program for Koreans, has recently received about 20 calls a day asking when tours will resume.
It is said that it is coming. Before Private King crossed the border into North Korea, anyone could apply for a public tour through a website.
Officials from the Ministry of Unification said that the suspension of public tours has been prolonged and it is unclear when they will resume.
``Due to the organizational reorganization of the Ministry of Unification, the department in charge of Panmunjom tours was changed, and it took time to consider transferring operations and resuming tours.''
Private King's issue has been resolved, and the United Nations Command is also running special tours.
The Ministry of Unification has determined that the time has come to resume public tours. A Ministry of Unification official said, ``As a result of our inspection of the Panmunjom site late last month, there is no great reason why we cannot resume public tours.
We plan to begin discussions with the United Nations Command regarding a schedule for resuming tours."