South Korea to shrink security buffer zone to North Korea

South Korea will ease restrictions on roughly 270 square kilometers of land near the border with North Korea. Farmers in the area had long complained of rules that complicated working conditions.

South Korean residents will have access to more land, but military operations, like these drills with the US, in the area will not be affected, the defense minister said [FILE: Mar 14, 2026]Image: Seung-il Ryu/NurPhoto/picture alliance

While the South and North Korean militaries warily eye each other across the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two countries, Seoul’s Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that farmers and residents will be allowed to access a bit more land near the heavily fortified border starting in 2027.

The ministry said it would shrink the Civilian Control Line (CCL), a military-controlled buffer zone south of the border, from 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) to an average of 6 kilometers.

“The CCL was established to restrict civilian access and guarantee military operations, but there have been growing calls for a need to complement its actual control measures,” South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back said.

“We have come up with an adjustment plan for the CCL to adapt to future security environments amid shrinking military manpower, while ensuring operational conditions,” Ahn added.

Restrictions on life near the border

South Koreans require the military’s permission to live or farm in the area. Analysts have said locals face significant economic disadvantages.

“We will enable regional development to the extent that it does not interfere with military operations,” Ahn said.

Residents welcomed the move, saying it would allow more farming activities in the area and boost development and tourism.

Councilor Park Heung-yeol of Ganghwa County told the AFP news agency that construction even on privately owned land within the controlled area requires military approval.

What is the Civilian Control Line?

The two Koreas officially remain at war because the war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.

The CCL was established after the 1950-53 Korean War to control access and protect military installations along the border between South Korea and North Korea. It currently extends up to 7 kilometers south of the Military Demarcation Line, the border between the countries, in the west and up to 10 kilometers in the east.

While the CCL provides a security buffer zone for the South, it also complicates the daily lives of residents seeking to develop their land.

Source : https://www.dw.com/en/south-korea-to-shrink-security-buffer-zone-to-north-korea/a-77586166