As military tensions start to cool off between the North and South Korea, the two countries have recently decided to start removing mines from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which splits the two countries. Troops from both the North and South Korean armies have started removing mines on the heavily defended border on Monday. This news was confirmed by South Korea's defense minister who added that the initiative is part of a pact in order to reduce tension and build trust between the two Koreas.
The details of this recent projects were agreed last month in a summit held in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. Both North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed on the terms of this peace deal.
In a statement released to the public, the South Korean defense minister said that both North and South Koreas have agreed to remove all landmines which were planted in the Joint Security Area, located in Panmunjom, within the next 20 days. On the side of South Korea, military engineers will be tasked on working on this extremely dangerous project.
As of this writing, North Korea has yet to confirm whether the country will be sending troops to the Joint Security Area in order to carry out the necessary clearing of mines.
Aside from clearing the DMZ from mines, the agreement signed by the two Koreas also include the removal of all guard posts and weapons from the Joint Security Area. This particular stage of clearing will be done right after the area is cleared from mines. Troops that will remain in the area, mostly as guards, will be completely unarmed.
The Joint Security area is located in Panmunjom and it is the only area in the 250-kilometer demilitarized zone where troops from the two Koreas are in direct contact with each other.
On the South Korean side of the border, international troops under the United Nations Command (UNC) led by the United States continue to play a major role, especially in the Joint Security Area. UNC spokesperson Colonel Chad Carroll declined to confirm whether the group will withdraw any weapons currently located in the Joint Security Area. Nevertheless, he confirmed that American forces will continue to provide support in the mine clearing operation.
Since military tensions between the two Koreas started, more than a million landmines were planted in the border area which includes the DMZ and the Civilian Control Zone located in the South. Such actions have killed and injured civilians and soldiers alike.
