South Korea has started an operation to clear mines from the Demilitarized Zone.
It's all part of implementing the recently-signed comprehensive military agreement between Seoul and Pyeongyang.
After completing that task,.. the two sides will work together to recover war remains in the area.
Park Ji-won reports.
This place is located just one kilometer from the Military Demarcation Line, that divides South and North Korea.
Here, on the southern side of the DMZ,... it's so close to the MDL that some North Korean guard posts are visible.
Arrowhead Hill,.. or Hwasalmori Goji in Korean was jointly chosen by the two Koreas,... to conduct the war remains recovery project,... as one of the fiercest battles of the Korean War took place here.
Wearing helmets and bulletproof vests, as well as other protective gear,.. military personnel are now working on mine detection and clearance.
"We will perfectly perform the mine sweeping and road construction for the joint recovery of war remains with North Korea."
The mine removal operation will run through November 30th,... and a 12-meter-wide road will be constructed to link the South and North Korean side by the end of this year,... to help facilitate the project.
"I am now inside the demilitarized zone, and after the mines from this area are safely removed, and other necessary preparatory work is done, the first-ever joint recovery of war remains by South and North Korea can kick off in April next year."
As a pilot program, the two Koreas agreed to run the joint recovery of war remains from April to October next year,... hoping it could lead to a series of further joint recovery projects in other areas of the DMZ.
It is estimated that during the Korean War, around ten thousand South Korean troops, and two thousand U.S. troops, were killed in the DMZ alone.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News, Cheorwon.
