North Korea’s claim that it now regards the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the demilitarized zone as a sovereign national border has not changed the way United Nations Command (UNC) sees it, its deputy commander told NK News.

However, the broader environment — including fortification of the region, degraded MDL markers and unresponsive hotlines all increased the chance of miscalculation, Lieutenant General Derek Macaulay said in an interview conducted at the sidelines of the Halifax International Security Forum.

“We do see fortification of the DMZ from the North Korean side, but the fortification of that side of the MDL does