Key developments since May 2002: North
Korea for the first time conducted mine clearance in the DMZ, as part of two
inter-Korean transportation projects.
Mine Ban Policy
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
(DPRK) has not acceded to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty. North Korea has not
attended any of the major international meetings on the landmine issue,
including regional meetings where other non-States Parties to the Mine Ban
Treaty participated. As in previous years, the DPRK was absent from the vote on
the pro-ban UN General Assembly resolution in November 2002. North Korea is not
a party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons.
The DPRK has produced antipersonnel mines, including the Model 15 mine and
the APP M-57 blast mine, but no information is available regarding on-going
production. Previous editions of Landmine Monitor contain the limited
information available on DPRK production, transfer, stockpiling, and use of
antipersonnel mines.
Mine Action
In 2002, the DPRK, for the first time, conducted
mine clearance inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as part of the two
inter-Korean transportation projects to link railways and
roads.[1] Although the projects
were first agreed to in July 2000, mine clearance did not begin until the US and
DPRK on 12 September 2002 signed an appendix to the Korean Armistice Agreement
that authorizes the construction of a railway and a road through the eastern
sector of the DMZ.[2]
North Korea held its ground-breaking ceremonies for the transportation
projects on 18 September 2002 and the following day the North Korean military
began mine clearance operations in the DMZ. The operations were completed on 14
December 2002.[3]
The demined areas are reported to be relatively small: 500 meters long and
250 meters wide in the western sector, and 300 meters long and 100 meters wide
in the eastern sector.[4] The
number of antipersonnel mines cleared is not known. South Korea reported that
it would lend North Korea an MK-4 demining machine during
2002,[5] but it is not known if
this occurred.
North Korea allowed a South Korean bus tour to the Mt. Kumgang tourist zone
across a temporary road in the newly cleared eastern sector of the DMZ on 14
February 2003, but then suspended such tours in
March.[6]
Landmine Problem, Casualties, and Survivor Assistance
Landmine incidents are likely to occur in certain
battle sites of the Korean War and in or near the DMZ. On 18 December 2002, a
North Korean soldier involved in the road construction work in the DMZ lost his
right foot to a landmine
explosion.[7]
There are no official statistics regarding the number of North Koreans killed
or injured by landmines. The North Korean government is reportedly helping
disabled soldiers by setting up special factories. One such factory is the
Kusong Disabled Soldiers’ Injection Factory in North Phyongan Province,
which produces prosthetic devices and some medical
supplies.[8]
An increasing number of international NGOs are now operating in North Korea,
including two international agencies with programs specifically for persons with
disabilities: the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Handicap
International Belgium (HIB).
The ICRC, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and the DPRK Red
Cross Society, launched an amputee rehabilitation program in a newly renovated
prosthetic center in Songrim, 30 kilometers south of the capital Pyongyang on 16
July 2002. The center provides rehabilitation services and produces orthopedic
devices.[9] In 2002, the center
produced 230 prostheses, including 32 for mine survivors. The center also
distributed 80 pairs of crutches and 37
wheelchairs.[10]
Handicap International Belgium is assisting the Hamhung orthopedic workshop
in the production of prosthetic devices, and provides training for the
prosthetic technicians and physiotherapists. In 2002, the workshop produced 735
prostheses and distributed 1,200 walking aids. HIB is also working with its
partner organization, the North Korean Association for the Disabled (KASD), to
prepare a draft legislation to protect the rights of people with
disabilities.[11]
[1] For background, see Landmine Monitor
Report 2001, p. 541, and Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 679. The projects
will link up two major railways, the Gyeungui line on the west coast and the
Donghae line on the east coast. [2]
“DPRK, U.S. Sign Appendix to Korean Armistice on Opening Part of DMZ to
Link Railways and Roads,” The People’s Korea (Tokyo), 28 September
2002. [3] ROK Embassy in the US,
Koreaupdate (newsletter), September 2002; Korean Central News Agency (KCNA),
Pyongyang, 17 December 2002. Operations were temporarily suspended in
November. [4] “North Korea
Observed Clearing Landmines in DMZ,” Yonhap News (Seoul), 21 October 2002;
Koreaupdate, September 2002. [5]
Republic of Korea Article 13 Report, Form E, submitted on 11 December
2002. [6] “Trial Overland Tour of
Mt. Kumgang Begins,” KCNA (Pyongyang), 14 February 2003; New York Times,
11 March 2003. [7] “DMZ Landmine
Explosion Injures One N. Korean Soldier,” Joongang Daily (Seoul), 19
December 2002; “North Korean soldier injured in land mine explosion at
DMZ,” Associated Press, 18 December 2002. The report was released to the
media by a South Korean Defense Ministry official who received the information
from South Korean soldiers at the DMZ who witnessed the
incident. [8] “Disabled Soldiers
Contribute Their Might to Powerful Nation-Building,” KCNA (Pyongyang), 27
March 2002. [9] “ICRC prepares to
launch programme for amputees,” ICRC News 02/29, 18 July 2002, available
at
www.icrc.org. [10]
ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Programs, “Annual Report 2002,” Geneva,
June 2003. [11] Handicap International
Belgium, “Activity Report 2002,” p. 24.