The role of the UN Command in keeping peace with North Korea – Ep. 318

South Korea partially withdrew from an inter-Korean military agreement over North Korea’s successful launch of a reconnaissance satellite last week. In response, Pyongyang announced it would scrap the Comprehensive Military Agreement in its entirety, and both sides have since pledged to rebuild guard posts along the border. NK News Data Correspondent Anton Sokolin talks about what this could mean for future relations, as well as local elections that took place in North Korea over the weekend. 

Then, outgoing United Nations Command (UNC) Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Andrew Harrison sits down in the studio to talk about his work for the multinational military force tasked with maintaining the Korean War Armistice and peace on the peninsula. 

He also discusses a meeting earlier this month that brought together top defense officials of South Korea and 17 UNC member states, as well as the roles that troops from some 11 countries play in UNC work like demining and recovering bodies from the demilitarized zone. 

Lieutenant General Andrew Harrison is a senior officer in the British Army who serves as the Deputy Commander of United Nations Command in South Korea and the Colonel Commandant of the Parachute Regiment. He previously completed tours in Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan and Iraq. 

About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot (@JaccoZed) exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.