Germany is the newest member of the US-led United Nations Command (UNC) in South Korea and aims to contribute to regional stability, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Friday.
Berlin is set to discuss with partners how it can contribute as the 18th member of the alliance at the Camp Humphreys UNC military base near Pyeongtaek.
He also said Germany’s armed forced, or Bundeswehr, would present its modern surveillance aircraft A319 OH, known as the flying eye, in South Korea from September. It is then set to be deployed for a limited period of time.
“This can be used to monitor compliance with arms control agreements from the air,” he said.
The UN Command is tasked with ensuring that the terms of the armistice negotiated during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953 are met.
It is in charge on the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone with North Korea, a 240-kilometre buffer zone created across the peninsula at the end of the Korean War that today forms the de facto border.
Tensions have risen on the Korean Peninsula after Pyongyang significantly expanded its missile tests over the past two years, while sharpening its rhetoric against the US and South Korea.
Kim Jong Un, the ruler of North Korea, has repeatedly called for increased war preparations.
David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
