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Seoul, Pyongyang Reach Agreement on Joint Regulation in DMZ
South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Thursday reached a 41-point regulation on a reconstruction program in the Demilitarized Zone, said the Defense Ministry.
The zone will be jointly managed by the two sides during the reconstruction and subsequent operation of an inter-Korean railroad from Seoul and Shuinjiu and a parallel high highway which have been under construction since last September.
The agreement was reached at the fifth round of inter-Korean working-level military talks held at the DPRK Panmugak pavilion in the truce village of Panmunjom.
Under the agreement, the two sides agreed to the joint management area for the reconstruction project at 250 meters wide and four kilometers long, with personnel from both sides to work in the area.
Two joint guard posts, one in the South and another in the North, will be set up 250 meters away from the military demarcation line(MDL) to observe the reconstruction.
In addition, mine and explosive clearing activities in the joint management area will only be conducted in the afternoon hours.
The two sides also agreed on the building of eco-tunnels in the joint management area for wild animals to freely pass between the South and North.
The details of the agreement will be announced after it is officially signed.
The agreement will be officially signed at the second round of inter-Korean defense ministers' meeting, which is expected to open in the DPRK in late February or early March.
The first defense ministers' meeting was held on South Korea's Cheju Island last December.
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