South Korea Rules Stall DMZ Peace March

North Korea Says No Approval From Southern Govt

A peace march through the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is up in the air tonight, with questions about the South Korean government giving them permission on the site of the crossing.

The marchers include Gloria Steinem and two Nobel laureates, and will be calling for a final end to the Korean War, which is still technically ongoing.

The group’s organizer says North Korea has given them all permission needed for the march, and South Korea had given them permission to cross the DMZ, but didn’t offer them specific permission to pass through Panmunjom, the site of the war’s armistice.

North Korea says they’re fine with the location, and both they and the march’s organizers are trying to communicate with the South Korean government through the Red Cross, but can’t get word one way or the other on going through Panmunjom. North Korea is saying absence permission from the south, the marchers might for safety have to go through the Kaesong highway.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.