JSA Civilian Tours May Resume as Early as Next Month

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Tours of the Joint Security Area (JSA) will resume. This comes about a year after being suspended due to the overlapping outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF) and the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The United Nations Command announced on the 28th through a press release that "General Robert Abrams, Commander of the United Nations Command (also Commander of the United States Forces Korea), after reviewing and consulting with the Korean government regarding COVID-19 mitigation measures, has approved the resumption of regular public tours of Panmunjom in the near future."

They also evaluated the Korean government's efforts in controlling the swine fever, stating that "the restrictions on access to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) have been lifted," and "the reopening date for the general public will be announced soon."

The government and the UN Command had agreed to completely suspend Panmunjom tours starting October 1st last year as a measure to prevent the spread of swine fever that occurred in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. The suspension policy was maintained this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The UN Command stated, "We will continue to cooperate closely with the Korean government to implement all necessary mitigation measures to protect the health and safety of all visitors to Panmunjom while monitoring the situations of African Swine Fever and COVID-19."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.