Two Koreas pull arms from border village
The rival Koreas have finished removing arms and troops from a jointly controlled area at the border village of Panmunjom.
The rival Koreas finished removing firearms and troops from a jointly controlled area at a border village, as part of agreements to reduce animosity on the Korean peninsula.
South Korea separately announced on Thursday its troops found what it believes are Korean War remains in another frontline area where they have been clearing landmines with North Korean soldiers. The rival Koreas plan their first-ever joint searches for war dead there after their de-mining work is done.
Disarming the Joint Security Area at the border village of Panmunjom and the joint searches are among a package of deals the Koreas’ defence ministers struck on the sidelines of their leaders’ summit last month. Other steps include creating buffer zones along their land and sea boundaries and a no-fly zone above the border, as well as removing some of their frontline guard posts.
On Thursday the Koreas and the UN Command completed a removal of weapons, ammunition and soldiers manning guard posts at Panmunjom. The three sides earlier finished removing mines from the village.
The three sides were to jointly verify their disarmament work yesterday and today. Under the September deals, the two Koreas are to let 35 “unarmed personnel” from each side guard the JSA and let tourists freely move around.
The area symbolises the Koreas’ seven decades of division. It’s where an armistice was signed at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Rival soldiers have faced each other only metres apart in the zone.
Soldiers and visitors were previously allowed to move freely inside the area, but the 1976 a killing of two US troops by North Korea at Panmunjom led to the creation of ankle-high concrete slabs that mark the border.
The Koreas are split along the 248km-long, 4km-wide demilitarised zone. But unlike its name, the DMZ is now the world’s most heavily fortified border. An estimated two million mines are peppered inside and near the DMZ, which is also guarded by barbed wire, tank traps and combat troops on both sides.
Officially, the entire DMZ area, including Panmunjom, is jointly overseen by North Korea and the UN Command. About 28,500 US troops are deployed in South Korea to deter possible aggression from North Korea.
The South Korean Defence Ministry said that its troops found what they believe are two sets of human remains at another DMZ spot. It was the first such discovery since South Korea began the joint de-mining work with North Korea on October 1 at a place where one of the heaviest Korean War battles took place.
A bayonet, bullets and a South Korean army identification tag with the name “Pak Je-kwon” were found along with the remains. Military records show Pak was a sergeant first class who died in the final weeks of the war.
Pak has two surviving sisters and authorities will take their DNA samples to find out if the bones belong to him.
At the site near Cheorwon, South Korean soldiers wrapped a piece of bone in white paper and put it into a wooden box. They later wrapped the box with a national flag, placed it on a small table and offered a shot of liquor before they paid a silent tribute.
“Sergeant 1st Class Pak Je-kwon has come back to us. It’s been 65 years since he died in battle. Now, we can offer up a shot of soju” to him, South Korean President Moon Jae-in tweeted. The area, known as Arrowhead Hill, is where South Korean and UN troops repelled a series of Chinese attacks to secure a strategically important position. The remains of an estimated 300 South Korean, French and US soldiers are believed to be in the area. The remains of a large number of Chinese and North Korean soldiers are also likely there.
The war left millions dead or missing, and the remains of about 10,000 South Korean soldiers alone are still inside the DMZ.
September’s agreements received strong criticism from conservatives in South Korea that Mr Moon’s government made too many concessions that will weaken the country’s military strength at a time when North Korea’s nuclear threat remains unchanged.
Mr Moon has facilitated a series of US-North Korean talks, including a June summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, to address the nuclear standoff.
AP
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