The two sides have started implementing a recent military tension reduction agreement.
On Sunday, soldiers from both South and North Korea began removing landmines planted along part of the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) pursuant to a recent military-military agreement. The mine removal will focus on the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom and will take place over the next 20 days.
At a recent summit in Pyongyang, the defense ministers of both countries concluded a major agreement on reducing military tensions that included provisions for the removal of land mines. The agreement sought to end “all hostile acts,” in line with the joint declaration between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and reduce the possibility of war on the Korean Peninsula.
Per annex two of the recent military-to-military agreement, both Koreas, in coordination with the United Nations Command, will “implement measures to demilitarize” the Joint Security Area. The removal of land mines starting October 1 was the first measure.
Subsequently, all sides will withdraw “guard posts, personnel, and firearms.” That is set to occur five days after the competition of the mine removal in the Joint Security Area, according to the agreement.
