The Military Demarcation Line ( MDL ), sometimes referred to as the Armistice Line , is the land border or demarcation line between North Korea and South Korea . On either side of the line is the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The MDL and DMZ were established by the Korean Armistice Agreement .
31-665: In the Yellow Sea, the two Koreas are divided by a de facto maritime "military demarcation line" and maritime boundary called the Northern Limit Line (NLL) drawn by the United Nations Command in 1953. The NLL is not described by the Korean Armistice Agreement. The DMZ runs near the 38th parallel , covering roughly 248 kilometers (154 mi). American and South Korean soldiers patrol this line along
62-558: A maritime nation that are recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , maritime borders usually serve to identify the edge of international waters . Maritime boundaries exist in the context of territorial waters , contiguous zones , and exclusive economic zones ; however, the terminology does not encompass lake or river boundaries, which are considered within
93-560: A battalion or company size unit every night from October 6 to October 9 to attack Arrowhead Hill, but a French battalion defended the position using close-range combat tactics with artillery support. At the same time, the ROK Army 9th Division was fighting CPVA on their right side at White Horse Hill . As the French battalion defended the hill until the end, they were able to subdue the CPVA and make
124-545: A contribution to the defense of White Horse Hill located on their right side. In December 1952, the ROK Army 2nd Infantry Division took over the defence at Arrowhead Hill from the US Army 3rd Infantry Division . In June and July 1953, there was a second battle that involved the ROK Army 2nd Infantry Division and CPVA. From April 2019 to June 2020, Arrowhead Hill, which is in the Korean Demilitarized Zone
155-527: A differently configured boundary line, there is no dispute that a few small islands close to the North Korean coastline have remained jurisdiction of the United Nations since 1953. The map at the right shows the differing maritime boundary lines of the two Koreas. The ambits of these boundaries encompass overlapping jurisdictional claims. The explicit differences in the way the boundary lines are configured
186-408: A multilateral treaty. Contemporary negotiations have produced tripoint and quadripoint determinations. For example, in the 1982 Australia–France Marine Delimitation Agreement , for the purposes of drawing the treaty's equidistant lines it was assumed that France has sovereignty over Matthew and Hunter Islands , a territory that is also claimed by Vanuatu . The northernmost point in the boundary
217-447: Is a conceptual division of Earth 's water surface areas using physiographical or geopolitical criteria. As such, it usually bounds areas of exclusive national rights over mineral and biological resources, encompassing maritime features, limits and zones. Generally, a maritime boundary is delineated at a particular distance from a jurisdiction's coastline. Although in some countries the term maritime boundary represents borders of
248-455: Is a line. The terms "frontier", "borderland" and "border" are zones of indeterminate width. Such areas form the outermost part of a country. Borders are bounded on one side by a national boundary. There are variations in the specific terminology of maritime boundary agreements which have been concluded since the 1970s. Such differences are less important than what is being delimited. Features that affect maritime boundaries include islands and
279-565: Is a tripoint with the Solomon Islands . The boundary runs in a roughly north–south direction and then turns and runs west–east until it almost reaches the 170th meridian east . The concept of maritime boundaries is a relatively new concept. The historical record is a backdrop for evaluating border issues. The evaluation of historic rights are governed by distinct legal regimes in customary international law, including research and analysis based on The study of treaties on maritime boundaries
310-440: Is important as (a) as a source of general or particular international law; (b) as evidence of existing customary law; and (c) as evidence of the emerging development of custom. The development of "customary law" affects all nations. The attention accorded this subject has evolved beyond formerly-conventional norms like the three-mile limit . Multilateral treaties and documents describing the baselines of countries can be found on
341-460: Is shown in the map at the right. In a very small area, this represents a unique illustration of differences in mapping and delineation strategies. Violent clashes in these disputed waters include what are known as the first Yeonpyeong incident , the second Yeonpyeong incident , and the Bombardment of Yeonpyeong . Arrowhead Hill The Battle of Arrowhead Hill ( Korean : 화살머리고지 전투 ) or
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#1732837306272372-663: The Battle of Arrowhead Ridge , was a battle in which UN Forces fought against the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (CPVA) during the Korean War . Arrowhead Hill (Hill 281) was in the Iron Triangle , formed by Pyonggang at its peak and Gimhwa-eup and Cheorwon-eup at its base, a strategic transport route in the central region of the Korean peninsula. On 6 October 1952, CPVA dispatched
403-510: The Khawr Abd Allah waterway. Many disputes have been resolved through negotiations, but not all of them. Among the array of unsettled disputes, the maritime borders of the two Koreas in the Yellow Sea represent a visually stark contrast. A western line of military control between the two Koreas was unilaterally established by the United Nations Command in 1953. Although the North asserts
434-548: The "Inter-Korean MDL in the Yellow Sea". Nonetheless, the UNC-drawn line functions as a de facto or "practical" extension of the 1953 MDL, despite occasional incursions and clashes. On October 16, 2018, the governments of North and South Korea agreed to allow locals and tourists to cross the Military Demarcation Line's infamous Joint Security Area location once it is cleared of personnel. The crossings will resemble
465-586: The DMZ by the North and South Korean militaries to ensure that both militaries would keep their distance from the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). In compliance with the Comprehensive Military Agreement which was signed at the September 2018 inter-Korean summit , the buffer zones help ensure that both Koreas will ban hostility on land, air and sea. The buffer zones stretch from the north of Deokjeok Island to
496-571: The MDL into North Korea. On December 8, 2018, a South Korean bus crossed the MDL into North Korea. On December 12, 2018, militaries from both Koreas crossed the MDL into the opposition countries for the first time in history to verify the removal of "frontline" guard posts. On June 5, 2024, South Korea's military announced that it would resume all military activity on the MDL after the suspension of an inter-Korean military agreement. Maritime boundary#Unresolved maritime boundaries A maritime boundary
527-523: The MDL. For UAVs, the no-fly zone is 15 km from the MDL in the East and 10 km from the MDL in the West. For hot-air balloons, the zone is within 25 km from the MDL. For fixed-wing aircraft, no fly zones are designated within 40 km from the MDL in the East (between MDL Markers No. 0646 and 1292) and within 20 km of the MDL in the West (between MDL Markers No. 0001 and 0646). For rotary-wing aircraft,
558-639: The South Korean side while North Korean soldiers patrol along the North Korean side. In Korean , the line is called the Hyujeonseon (휴전선), meaning "armistice line." It is also sometimes called the Gunsa Bungye-seon (군사분계선), which literally means "military demarcation line." However, in colloquial usage, the dividing line is more often called the Sampalseon (삼팔선, "38th parallel"), a name likely coined at
589-556: The brief moment South Korean President Moon Jae-in stepped into North Korea with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un on April 27, 2018. After the Joint Security Area was cleared of armed military personnel on October 25, 2018, it was announced that tourism at the MDL crossing would be delayed. On November 1, 2018, officials from the South Korean Ministry of Defense confirmed that buffer zones were established across
620-506: The context of land boundaries. Some maritime boundaries have remained indeterminate despite efforts to clarify them. This is explained by an array of factors, some of which involve regional problems. The delineation or delimitation of maritime boundaries has strategic, economic and environmental implications (see maritime delimitation ). The terms boundary , frontier and border are often used as if they were interchangeable, but they are also terms with precise meanings. A boundary
651-553: The declaration of a baseline . The conditions under which a state may establish such baseline are described in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). A baseline of a country can be the low water line, a straight baseline (a line that encloses bays, estuaries, inland waters,...) or a combination of the two. Maritime spaces can be divided into the following groups based on their legal status: While many maritime spaces can be classified as belonging to
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#1732837306272682-479: The end of World War II, when it would have been an accurate description of the North-South border. The line itself is marked off by a series of 1,292 identical signs which are placed at intervals across the peninsula. The north facing side of the signs are written in Korean and Chinese, and in Korean and English on the south facing side. The signs are now aging and rusting. There have been frequent skirmishes along
713-639: The line since the armistice ended the fighting of the Korean War . Although the Korean Armistice Agreement specifies where the demarcation line and demilitarized zone are located on land, the agreement does not mention lines or zones in adjacent ocean waters . Shortly after the signing of the Armistice, a line in the sea was drawn unilaterally by the United Nations Command (UNC). This Northern Limit Line or North Limit Line (NLL) represented
744-507: The no fly zones are designated within 10 km of the MDL. Both Koreas also established "peace zones" in the area of the Yellow Sea which borders the MDL as well. On November 22, 2018, North and South Korea completed construction to connect a three kilometer road along the DMZ. The road, which travels across the MDL, has 1.7 km in South Korea and 1.3 km in North Korea. The road
775-452: The northern limit of the area in which South Korea permits its vessels to navigate, not a demarcation line on which the two Koreas agreed. The Korean Armistice Agreement (KAA) provisions regarding the MDL and DMZ do not extend into the Yellow Sea or Sea of Japan. In 1999, North Korea unilaterally asserted its own "North Korean Military Demarcation Line in the West Sea (Yellow Sea)", also called
806-399: The same group, this does not imply that they all have the same legal regime. International straits and canals have their own legal status as well. The zones of maritime boundaries are expressed in concentric limits surrounding coastal and feature baselines. In the case of overlapping zones, the boundary is presumed to conform to the equidistance principle or it is explicitly described in
837-473: The south of Cho Island in the West Sea and the north of Sokcho city and south of Tongchon County in the East (Yellow) Sea. Both North and South Korea are prohibited from conducting live-fire artillery drills and regiment-level field maneuvering exercises or those by bigger units within 5 kilometers of the MDL. No-fly zones have also been established along the DMZ to ban the operation of drones, helicopters and other aircraft over an area up to 40 km away from
868-469: The submerged seabed of the continental shelf . The process of boundary delimitation in the ocean encompasses the natural prolongation of geological features and outlying territory . The process of establishing "positional" borders encompasses the distinction between previously resolved and never-resolved controversies. The limits of maritime boundaries are expressed in polylines and in polygon layers of sovereignty and control, calculated from
899-406: The two territories. Controversies about territorial waters tend to encompass two dimensions: (a) territorial sovereignty, which are a legacy of history; and (b) relevant jurisdictional rights and interests in maritime boundaries, which are mainly due to differing interpretations of the law of the sea. An example of this may be reviewed in the context of the ongoing Kuwait-Iraq maritime dispute over
930-540: The website of the United Nations. For example, the Australia–France Marine Delimitation Agreement establishes ocean boundaries between Australia and New Caledonia in the Coral Sea (including the boundary between Australia's Norfolk Island and New Caledonia). It consists of 21 straight-line maritime segments defined by 22 individual coordinate points forming a modified equidistant line between
961-469: Was reconnected for the first time in 14 years in an effort to assist with a process at the DMZ's Arrowhead Hill involving the removal of landmines and exhumation of Korean War remains. On November 30, 2018, following the removal of the "frontline" guard posts and Arrowhead Hill landmines, rail transportation between North and South Korea (which ceased in November 2008) resumed when a South Korean train crossed