Asian Perspective

Abstract:

Notwithstanding the June 2000 Pyongyang Summit Declaration, the June 2002 naval clash in the West Sea between North and South Korean naval forces once again demonstrated the precarious nature of the armistice regime and peace and security on the Korean peninsula. But the incident also provides an opportunity for confidence building with the benefit of existing “rules of the road” based on the Law of the Sea. This article probes the immediate cause of the clash—the fingering dispute over the status of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), unilaterally promulgated by the United Nations Command in August 1953—and the political interests of the parties today that stand in the way of a resolution. If the two Koreas are genuinely committed to reconciliation, these differences can be resolved through negotiation, thereby preventing future incidents. A line that was drawn more than a half-century ago for an entirely different purpose should no longer be allowed to fester as a source of conflict, thereby retarding the peace process.