THE MILITARY ARMISTICE COMMISSION

The Military Armistice Commission is the
principal agency established to supervise im-
plementation of the truce terms. It is compos-
ed of five members appointed by each side.
The Commander in Chief, UNC had appointed
one member from the U.S., two from the ROK
and one from UK. The fifth UNC member is
designated on a rotational basis from among
the nations still represented in the command.
The U.S. member serves as Senior Member for
the UNC. Four officers of the north Korean
People's Army and one officer from the
Chinese People's Volunteers represent the
communists. One of the north Koreans serves
as Senior Member for his side. The presence of
one member from each side constitutes a
quorum for meetings.

The Senior Members of the Commission
are the only spokesmen for their side at all
Commission meetings; these meetings are con-
ducted without a chairman. The Senior
Member of the side calling the meeting speaks
first. Key members of the Senior Member's
staff sit behind him in the conference room.
The United Nations Command Advisory
Group-representatives of several of the 16
United Nations Members which furnished
combat support also attend meetings. Each
statement is translated into Korean and
Chinese after the UNC statement in English
and into English and Chinese after the com-
munist statement in Korean. This is done con-
secutively rather than simultaneously.

The meetings are held in the Joint Security Area near Panmunjom. Roughly circular, the JSA is 800 meters wide and divided by the Military Demarcation Line. The main conference building is set squarely on the Military Demarcation Line so that the line also bisects the center of the green, feltcovered table. The MDL was not marked within the conference area until after the axe murder of two UNC officers in August 1976. Even after the physical division of the JSA, Military Armistice Commission personnel and press personnel remain authorized to move freely in the Joint Security Area but through custom do not enter the opposing side's buildings. Similarly, visitors to the area are

not permitted to enter the other side's buildings.

Since the Commission headquarters of
each side is located outside the conference
area-Seoul in the south and Kaesong in the
north-Joint Duty Officers meet at noon every
day, except Sundays and holidays, to ex-
change routine reports and to pass com-
munications from the Senior Members or
Secretaries of their sides.

Security personnel of both sides guard the conference area. Each side is permitted no more than 35 Security Guards on duty in the Joint Security Area at any given time.

JOINT OBSERVER TEAMS

Under the terms of the Armistice Agreement, five Joint Observer Teams are provided to assist the Military Armistice Commission

in supervising the implementation of those
provisions of the Armistice Agreement which
pertain to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and
the Han River Estuary. Four teams have been
assigned sectors of responsibility along the
DMZ. The fifth team is responsible for the
Han River Estuary. Each team is comprised of
from four to six field grade officers-half of
whom are appointed by each side.

The primary function of the United Na-
tions Component of the Joint Observer Teams
is to meet with their communist counterparts
on the DMZ and to conduct investigations of
alleged Armistice Agreement violations. The
Military Armistice Commission as a joint
body is the only organization authorized to
dispatch a Joint Observer Team. The north
Koreans have over years frustrated the mis-
sion of this primary investigative arm by
refusing Joint Observer Team meetings.
However, the United Nations Command con-
ducts a unilateral investigation of all signifi-
cant Armistice-related incidents.