Two Koreas agree to remove 22 guard posts at border next months
- The two sides also agree to conduct a joint survey of a 70km waterway near their western border
The North and South Korean militaries agreed on Friday to completely destroy 22 frontline guard posts by the end of November as they discussed their next steps in implementing a wide-ranging military agreement signed last month to reduce tensions.
They also agreed to conduct a joint survey early next month of a 70-kilometrer -long waterway near their western border where civilian vessels from both countries eventually will be allowed to pass freely, according to a statement released after the general-level talks at the border village of Panmunjom.
The plans to remove the guard posts and jointly use the Han River estuary were among the commitments spelt out in the military agreement reached last month on the sidelines of a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
Friday’s talks came a day after the Koreas and the US-led United Nations Command completed removing firearms and troops from a jointly controlled area at the border village. The Koreas have also been clearing mines from frontline areas and plan to start their first-ever joint search for remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean war in April.
South Korea confirmed on Thursday that its soldiers had found war remains in a different frontline area.
According to the statement provided by South Korea’s Defence Ministry, the Koreas agreed to complete the withdrawal of personnel, firearms and equipment and the destruction of the 11 guard posts from each side by the end of November. They plan to jointly verify the results in December.