Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission

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Entrance to the NNSC camp (Photo January 1976 from CP# 5).

The Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) was established by the Armistice Agreement (AA) signed July 27, 1953 and is thus with the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) part of the mechanism regulating the relations between the parties in the Korean conflict. According to the wording of the agreement, the NNSC shall be composed of four senior officers, two of whom shall be appointed by neutral nations nominated by the United Nations Command (UNC) namely Sweden and Switzerland and two of whom shall be appointed by neutral nations nominated jointly by the Korean People's Army (KPA) and the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV), namely Poland and Czechoslovakia. The term "Neutral Nations" is defined as those nations, whose combat forces have not participated in the hostilities in Korea. On August 1, 1953, the first Swiss delegation consisting of 96 members for the NNSC arrived in Panmunjom. The first diminution took place in 1955 (reduced to 41 members) and in the following years, the delegation was successively reduced. Since 1982, there are six Swiss members in Panmunjom and until August 1987, exactly 700 Swiss soldiers have worked for the NNSC in Korea. The mission of the NNSC is defined in article 41 of the Armistice Agreement and reads as follows: "The mission of the NNSC shall be to carry out the function of supervision, observation, inspection, and investigation and to report the results of such supervision, observation, inspection and investigation to the Military Armistice Commission."

1 Overview
2 NNSC Today
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Overview

Map of the JSA showing NNSC buildings and location of CP# 5, the entrance to the Swedish and Swiss NNSC Camp.

From June 1956 to the year of 1993, the NNSC ceased their controls but solely forwarded the war parties' reports on entering and leaving military persons to the Ceasefire Commission. The strengths of the delegations from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and Switzerland were reduced gradually: On 9 June 1956 to 14 members each, in 1960 to 9 members each and in 1978 to 6 members each. Residing inside the Joint Security Area (JSA) are the offices and conference room for the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC). The Czech component was forced out by the DPRK early in 1993, shortly after moving away from communism. The Polish component was forced out by the DPRK early in 1995, six years after becoming a democratic government. The NNSC members are assisted by administrative personnel from their own countries. Camps for the Swedish and Swiss members and their staffs are located in the southern half of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) adjacent to the JSA. The former Polish and Czech camps which were located nearby on the north Korean side of the MDL, have been taken over by the KPA and are now used for other purposes.

[edit] NNSC Today

The main role of the NNSC today is to maintain and to build optimal relations with both sides and thus to keep a channel of communications open between them. Today five Swiss representatives and five Swedish representatives stationed in Panmunjom, South Korea, are on duty for the NNSC. Presently, their main task is to show presence at the inner Korean border and thus demonstrate that the cease-fire is still in force. Occasionally, Polish delegates attend the meetings at Panmunjom - however through South Korea, as Poland has changed sides politically. The promotion of detente and security in the Joint Security Area (JSA) also falls within the framework of these activities and are the prerequisites for the accomplishment of these tasks.^[1]