What Can Prevent The Korean War From Escalating in Time

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The Korean War is not, at least technically, over. The current ceasefire that is ensuing between North and South Korea is a result of an armistice agreement that was signed in 1953 after 3 years of fighting. What this armistice basically states is that the war is not really over and that it is just a ceasefire.

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This explains why even after so many years, the Korean Demilitarized Zone (Korean DMZ) is one of the most militarized borders on the face of this earth and a little spark can blow into a big fight. Many incidents have ensued in the Korean DMZ.

In the Korean DMZ there are troops from the South Korean Armed Forces and the North Korean army and they undertake joint patrols of their respective sides. Not only are there South Koreans on the South Korean side, but they are also backed by a 30,000 strong United States force who help the South Koreans in patrolling and securing the border. The United States has dispatched this force in order to protect South Korea from a prospective invasion from the North. South Korea is a very strong ally of the United States in Asia and protecting it is in America’s national interests.

Even with such a militarized border, there are no shortage of incidents, especially when it comes to cross-border infiltration. The North Koreans have dug tunnels into South Korea to smuggle in troops and spies in order to prepare for an invasion of South Korea. However, these tunnels were found in time by South Korean forces and have been blocked immediately.

As stated earlier, even small sparks could have potentially led to huge disasters. There have been several instances where there has been fistfights between north and south troops, there were warning shots fired, there has been defections and there has been many such incidents.