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SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea and South Korea on Tuesday held their first three-party talks with the United Nations Command (UNC) to discuss ways to demilitarize the border as neighbors push for peace. announced the Seoul Ministry of Defense.
PHOTO FILE: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in discuss during a walk to Samjiyon Guesthouse in Ryanggang Province, North Korea, September 20, 2018. The Body release of Pyeongyang / Pool via REUTERS
The two sides agreed this week to re-establish rail and road connections, despite US concerns about a rapid thaw in their relations that could undermine efforts to pressure North Korea to abandon its arms. nuclear.
Tuesday's meeting followed their agreement at a summit held in Pyongyang last month to conduct discussions with the UNC, which overlap with US forces in the south and oversee business in the country. demilitarized zone fortified borders.
The meeting lasted about two hours at the border village of Panmunjom. It was led by military officers of the rank of colonel on either side, including Burke Hamilton, secretary of the UNC Military Armistice Commission, the ministry said.
"They discussed practical issues regarding the steps of demilitarization to be carried out in the future," he said in a statement released after the talks.
Steps have ranged from removing firearms and guard posts to cutting staff and adjusting surveillance equipment, the ministry said, adding that the three-way channel would be used for future discussions.
North Korea and the rich, democratic South are technically still at war, as the Korean War of 1950-1953 ended with a truce rather than a peace treaty.
As a first step toward the covenant last month, neighbors plan to remove 11 guard posts within a 1 km (0.6 mile) radius of the military demarcation line by the end of the year.
They began demining in several small areas this month and will build roads for a pilot project scheduled for April to search the remains of missing Korean war soldiers.
The two parties will also remove all firearms from the Panmunjom Joint Security Zone, reducing the number of personnel stationed in Panmunjom to 35, in accordance with the Armistice Pact, and exchange information on equipment. monitoring.
Tourists will be allowed free access to the JSA.
The measures, which were to be adopted within a month, would turn the border into a "place of peace and reconciliation," the ministry said.
"Most of the operations will actually be carried out by the two Koreas, but it is essential to ensure the support of the UNC because it has US elements and also manages the Military Armistice Commission" , said a South Korean military source under the guise of anonymity.
Reportage of Hyonhee Shin; Additional report by Joyce Lee; Edited by Stephen Coates and Clarence Fernandez
