Agreement Between Two Koreas to Remove Guard Posts from Demilitarized Zone

On Monday, October 21, the South Korean Ministry of Defense announced that South Korea, North Korea, and the United Nations agreed to clear military weapons and guard posts from the 'Panmunjom' area, the demilitarized zone at the border of the two countries. According to Reuters, the second round of trilateral negotiations aimed at demilitarizing the buffer zone was conducted to implement agreements made during last month's summit between the leaders of the two countries. The report states that by the end of this year, 11 guard posts will be dismantled within a one-kilometer radius of the border area. The two countries also agreed to remove all weapons in the shared security area in 'Panmunjom' and each country will have only 35 personnel in this area. The South Korean Ministry of Defense stated that based on the agreement made on Monday, the complete demilitarization of the 'shared security area' will begin on Thursday. Additionally, the two Koreas announced the completion of landmine clearance in the area during the meeting on Monday. The South Korean Ministry of Defense mentioned that they negotiated a timeline for the withdrawal of weapons and guard posts, as well as ways to adjust the number of guarding personnel and conduct joint inspections. The Ministry added that this agreement includes the cessation of 'all hostile actions' and a no-fly zone around the border. Reuters notes that despite the end of the war between North and South Korea in 1953, the two countries are effectively still at war, as they have not signed a peace treaty to officially end the conflict. However, relations between the two countries have significantly improved over the past year. The United States also announced last week that it and South Korea canceled a joint air defense exercise to 'provide all possible opportunities' for continued diplomatic efforts with the North Korean government.