Germany is for the first time to provide personnel to the United Nations Command, the US-led multinational headquarters that oversees the armistice that concluded the 1950-53 Korean War, a commitment welcomed by South Korea.

The German contingent is expected to be made up primarily of senior military personnel working alongside officers from 17 other UN nations to monitor the uneasy peace on the peninsula, with analysts suggesting the contribution is largely designed to underline international support among nations facing down increasingly aggressive dictatorial states.

President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed gratitude for Berlin's application to join the United Nations Command (UNC) during talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington on July 10, adding, "We look forward to Germany fulfilling its necessary role as a member of the UNC as soon as the related procedures are completed."

The agreement comes at a tense time on the peninsula and in eastern Europe, points out Chun In-bum, a retired lieutenant general in the Republic of Korea Army who served on the UNC's Military Armistice Commission.

North Korea signed a security agreement with Russia last month that commits the two nations to come to each other's........

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