Koreas lift fortifications

Seoul – Troops from North and South Korea began removing the more than one million landmines along their heavily fortified border yesterday, the South’s defence ministry said. It is part of a pact to reduce tension and build trust on the divided peninsula.

The project was agreed during last month’s summit in North Korean capital Pyongyang between its leader, Kim Jong-un, and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

In a statement, the ministry said the two sides agreed to remove all landmines in the socalled Joint Security Area (JSA) in Panmunjom within the next 20 days, with military engineers performing the hazardous task on the South Korean side.

The deal also provides for removal of guard posts and weapons from the JSA, with troops remaining there to be left unarmed.

The JSA is the only spot along the 250km-long “demilitarised zone” where troops from both Koreas are face to face. It is also staffed by United Nations troops.

It was the scene of the first dramatic April summit between Kim and Moon, as well as their second, more low-key meeting, in May.

Demining projects were also set to begin in South Korea’s Gangwon province to allow teams to search for the remains of soldiers killed in the 1950-1953 Korean War. – Reuters