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28 November 2006
A recent visit to Korea provided an excellent opportunity to appreciate the complexities of the region, and discuss areas of mutual interest, says Chief of Army, Major General Lou Gardiner.
“It gave me an insight into how the Korean way of thinking influences the decisions and actions that are taken there. I can now understand the context of the current problems facing the region,” he says.
MAJ GEN Gardiner was in the Republic of Korea to attend the Defence Asia 2006 Conference. He also had formal discussions with General Kim Jang Soo, and the Chief of Staff of the Indonesian National Army. Defence diplomacy was also a major aspect of the visit, and after attending the conference, MAJ GEN Gardiner visited several military installations.
Military personnel from ROK and New Zealand had worked alongside each other several times in recent years, and New Zealand military personnel were held in high regard by their Korean counterparts, he said. “New Zealand’s contribution to the Korean War is widely acknowledged in ROK.”
As well as visiting the ROK Staff College, Special Warfare Command and the ROK Army headquarters, MAJ GEN Gardiner attended the weekly United Nations Command (UNC), and spent time with the UNC and United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission.
“Spending time with personnel from both organisations gave me a much better understanding of the relationship between US/UN and ROK forces, the historical perspectives, and the work our four NZDF personnel are doing overseeing the armistice.”
Lieutenant Darren Young, a New Zealand Army TF officer posted to UNCMAC, briefed MAJ GEN Gardiner at his work site, Observation Post DORA, which looks out over the DMZ and North Korea as well as the four lane transportation corridor that links the ROK with the Kaesong Industrial Park in North Korea. Hundreds of vehicles and personnel travel through the corridor daily, and one of LT Young’s responsibilities is to monitor and track their movements.
Four New Zealand Defence Force personnel are playing a role in helping keep the tenuous peace along the division between North and South Korea.
Colonel Tim Gall, New Zealand’s Defence Attaché in Seoul, serves as both an advisor and liaison officer to the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission (UNCMAC). Major Richard Anderson is UNCMAC’s assistant operations officer, Lieutenant Darren Young is assigned to the transportation Corridor West, and Sub Lieutenant Karl Vetter, RNZN, is responsible for monitoring activity in the eastern Transportation Corridor.
The Armistice between North and South Korea was signed in 1953. Three commissions were established to help monitor it. The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, which New Zealand is aligned to, was established to monitor the peace outside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), a 241km-long and four km-wide buffer zone separating the opposing forces. Sixteen nations are involved in monitoring the Armistice.
As an advisor to UNCMAC, COL Gall helps investigate Armistice violations, meets with senior United Nations Command (UNC) representatives, and participates in UNC exercises.
In his role with UNCMAC Major Anderson regularly monitors the DMZ, usually by vehicle or helicopter, and he also investigates and documents Armistice violations.
“Part of our job is to ensure the Republic of Korea soldiers monitoring the DMZ understand the Armistice Rules of Engagement, and that they comply with those rules. We try to ensure the commanders and their soldiers along the DMZ know the correct procedure should there be a violation, for example, if someone fires at their post.” Violations can range from deaths and defections, to small arms fire and other hostile acts.
SUBLT Vetter and LT Young monitor activities along their assigned corridors. The Eastern Corridor was established mainly for tourists travelling north to visit the Mt Keumgang tourist resort, while the Western Corridor was built to allow the transportation of raw material and personnel to and from the huge Kaesong Industrial complex in North Korea.
Two of the four NZDF personnel working for UNCMAC are members of the Territorial Force.
MAJ Anderson, who is a lawyer in civilian life, says the mission is busy, especially as violations can happen at any time, and must be investigated. “One of the main hurdles is language difficulties. Other personnel find our New Zealand accents are at times difficult to understand, especially on the telephone, and we’re much the same with them. But the work is interesting, especially the monitoring and inspections, and seeing how different militaries operate.”
LT Young is a TF officer with 3 Auck North Regt. He feels being TF has helped him adapt easily to his operational deployment.
“I think that due to nature of their training (one or two weekends a month) TF soldiers are often very adaptable and are quick to apply themselves – whether it be working with new people, different equipment or working in unfamiliar places. I’ve certainly had no problem fitting in with the US, ROK and British personnel that make up my team and I’m enjoying the challenges of working in the DMZ. It’s a rare opportunity for a recently promoted TF lieutenant to deploy on operations overseas and I’m making the most of the experience.”
This page was last reviewed on 29 November 2006 and is current.
