Gov't to ease civilian-restricted inter-Korean border boundaries for wider public access

“The defense ministry on Wednesday rolled out a plan to ease the boundaries of the military-controlled buffer zone along the inter-Korean border to allow wider civilian access and spur regional growth. The Civilian Control Line (CCL), a buffer zone that lies within 10 kilometers south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) that runs through the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, will be reduced to an average of 6 km in distance, Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said in a briefing. "The CCL was established to restrict civilian access and guarantee military operations, but there have been growing calls for a need to complement its actual control measures," Ahn said. "We have come up with an adjustment plan for the CCL to adapt to future security environments amid shrinking military manpower, while ensuring operational conditions," he said. The CCL was established in the wake of the 1950-53 Korean War to restrict public access and protect military installations along the heavily fortified inter-Korean border. It currently extends up to 7 km south of the MDL along the western front an

Summary generated from the RSS feed of Korea Times Southkorea. All article rights belong to the original publisher. Click through to read the full piece on www.koreatimes.co.kr.