Lt. Gen. Scott Winter, deputy commander of the U.N. Command speaks in an interview with Yonhap News Agency at Dragon Hill Lodge Hotel in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

The deputy commander of the U.N. Command (UNC) has stressed the need for prudence in any changes regarding the control and use of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, calling the armistice a "proven framework."

Lt. Gen. Scott Winter made the remarks as the U.S.-led UNC has objected to bills seeking to promote the peaceful use of the military buffer zone, citing safety and the need to adhere to the armistice agreement.

Currently, the UNC administers the DMZ as the southern enforcer of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War.

"What I would say is that when you've got a proven framework that works so well, I'd be very wary of doing anything that could change what is already working extremely well," Winter said in an exclusive interview with Yonhap News Agency on Thursday.

"We need to be very wary about anything that undermines the integrity of a system of management and de-escalation that has worked so well for such a long period of time," he said, when asked about a report on Seoul's defense ministry suggesting to the UNC managing parts of the southern half of the DMZ, without directly commenting on the proposal.

Winter praised the day-to-day efforts of young South Korean soldiers serving in what he called "one of the most dangerous bits of terrain anywhere on Earth," adding the armistice exists to keep them safe.

Compared with when the UNC was established more than 75 years ago, Winter stressed how the global security environment has become increasingly interconnected, mentioning the deepening military alignment between Pyongyang and Moscow as an example.

"Now, unfortunately, you have the nexus between North Korea and Russia that emerges out of Ukraine, (which) is a very timely warning and reminder that everything is connected. You cannot afford to have that blanket approach," he said.

In the face of such globalized threats, Winter highlighted how a global coalition response by an impenetrable web of like-minded countries can be a way to counterbalance that changing dynamic.

Source: Korea Times News