South Korea, NNSC

The monitoring of the Armistice Agreement between North and South Korea is carried out by the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC). Today, the NNSC consists of three nations: Sweden and Switzerland, each contributing five officers who permanently carry out the commission’s tasks. Poland also participates with two officers for shorter periods, roughly twice a year. When the armistice was established in 1953, the organization consisted of around 400 personnel from Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, and Czechoslovakia.

The delegation’s camp is located in Panmunjom, the site where the armistice agreement was signed after the Korean War, and where prisoner exchanges and talks have taken place since then.

Since its creation, the main task of the NNSC has been to serve as a neutral and independent party between North and South Korea and their respective allies. However, the tasks have changed over the years.

Today, the work extends beyond monitoring compliance with the ceasefire. The majority of the commission’s activities consist of the so-called expanded tasks. The commission conducts inspections of military units and deployment areas in and outside the Demilitarized Zone, observes major exercises, and provides training to South Korean units and higher military schools regarding the armistice agreement. In addition, inspections and investigations are carried out whenever provocations or incidents occur between the two countries.

The NNSC maintains continuous contact with the southern side—the United Nations Command, US Forces Korea, and the South Korean Armed Forces. At present, there is no contact with the northern side.