Two Koreas to verify demolished guard posts

The two Koreas will verify that 11 guard posts were demolished on each side of the border next week by forming special taskforces to carry out the one-day work in the border area.

“Military officials from the two sides will visit destroyed posts of each side on Dec. 12 and verify whether they have been completely demolished,” the South’s Ministry of National Defense said Thursday.

The decision is part of a follow-up to their joint destruction of the posts, which was completed last month. The two Koreas made the agreement to demolish the posts during the inter-Korean summit this September, as part of efforts to foster lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Both sides shared the view that the joint verification will tighten the inter-Korean trust and pave the way for both sides to take a more concrete step to ease tension near the border area.

A seven-member taskforce — led by a colonel-level military official — will carry out verification for each post, according to the ministry. This means a group of 77 officials from each of the two Koreas will conduct the verification.

Two officials from each taskforce will work on taking photos of the verification process.

The two Koreas also reached a consensus in building 11 small “footpaths” connecting posts from each side. Officials from Seoul and Pyongyang will walk on the path while verifying each other’s posts, according to the ministry.

“We expect the footpaths to change the demilitarized zone (DMZ) into a symbol of peace zone,” the ministry said in a statement.

It is high time that the two Koreas shifted the symbolic image of the DMZ and open a new era for peace, according to the ministry.

To be specific, the South Korean military taskforces will visit the North’s posts in the morning, and the North will verify the South’s posts in the afternoon, the statement said.

Starting this year, Seoul and Pyongyang are on track for rapid reconciliation, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sending its strong willingness for giving up its nuclear weapons and bringing lasting peace on the peninsula.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un have held three summits this year on the reconciliatory mood here.

In particular, both sides reached a specific consensus in easing inter-Korean tension during their latest meeting in September in Pyongyang.

The two leaders agreed to demolish the posts by signing the comprehensive military agreement during the summit.