Panmunjom tour suspended again due to North Korea's arming

The Panmunjom tour program, which was suspended in July of this year due to an incident in which a US soldier crossed the border with North Korea, resumed on the 22nd of last month for the first time in four months, has been suspended again after just one week. North Korea's ``September 19 South''
The cause was the declaration of a complete abrogation of the ``North Korean Military Agreement,'' and the decision to require soldiers working in the Panmunjom Joint Security Area (JSA) to wear handguns. Since the South Korean side is unarmed, it is concerned about the safety of its people and has issued a special observation.
The decision was made to effectively suspend the academic program. According to the South Korean Ministry of Unification on the 30th, the National Institute for Unification Education recently decided to effectively suspend the Panmunjom special tour program that resumed on November 22nd.
It is said that it has been decided. A reopening date has not been determined. A ministry official said, ``North Korean troops are working in the Panmunjom Joint Security Area (JSA) wearing handguns, and the South Korean side is still unarmed, so it is unnecessary.
We have decided not to hold special tours of Panmunjom for the time being, except in urgent cases." Another source said, ``There are no tour dates this week due to the U.S. military's Thanksgiving holiday, so we will be taking the tour next Tuesday (December 5th).
) We have also canceled the special tour scheduled for 2019 in consideration of the current situation." During the special tour period on December 5th, Unification Minister Kim Yong-ho and reporters are scheduled to visit Panmunjom.
It was Prior to this, the Ministry announced that the Panmunjom tour program, which had been suspended after a US soldier crossed the border into North Korea without permission in July, was limited to special tours organized by government agencies for 11 days.
It reopened on the 22nd of May. The ministry planned to run a special tour program four days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday), three times a day, with a capacity of 20 people per visit.
However, North Korea objected to the South Korean government's partial suspension of the September 19 military agreement, declared a complete abrogation, and began guarding Panmunjom.
Because the soldiers were armed, the South Korean government decided to effectively cancel the tours out of consideration for the safety of its citizens. The demilitarization of the JSA was also based on the September 19 Military Agreement.
The United Nations Command, which has jurisdiction over the JSA, is currently considering countermeasures while closely monitoring the movements of the North Korean military.