Two Koreas agree to remove some border guard posts
The two Koreas on Friday agreed to each remove 11 guard posts along the heavily-fortified border next month with a goal to possibly remove all of them in the future, senior military officials said.
The agreement made between generals from the two sides came as diplomatic thaw between the former wartime foes gathered pace.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the North's leader Kim Jong Un previously agreed on a broad plan to ease tensions along the border during their third summit in Pyongyang last month.
During Friday's talks aimed at fleshing out details, the two sides agreed to withdraw all troops and weaponry from the 11 guard posts along the border and destroy them by the end of November, according to a joint statement released by Seoul's military.
'The two sides also agreed to hold working-level talks to remove all remaining GPs based on the progress of the test removal of 11 GPs,' it said after the talks held at the border truce village of Panmunjom.
Panmunjom -- or the Joint Security Area (JSA) -- is the only spot along the tense, 250-kilometre (155-mile) frontier where soldiers from the two Koreas and the US-led UN Command stand face to face.
But as part of the latest reconciliatory gesture, the two Koreas on Thursday removed all firearms and guard posts from the area, leaving it manned by 35 unarmed personnel from each side.
The two nations technically remain at war after the 1950-53 Korean War that sealed the division of the peninsula ended with a ceasefire instead of a peace treaty.
But ties improved markedly this year as Moon -- a dove who advocates dialogue with the isolated, nuclear-armed North -- and Kim took a series of reconciliatory gestures.
The two sides also finished removing landmines at the JSA -- which has been increasingly used for talks between the two Koreas -- last week as part of the deal between Kim and Moon.
More from Defence Notes
-
US lawmakers warn that “more military spending is absolutely necessary” to ensure Pentagon’s readiness
The US Congress has raised concerns about how inflation rates and cuts in main acquisition programmes could affect the US military.
-
Can the US overcome Russian and Chinese nuclear capabilities?
Washington’s ageing inventory and the pace Moscow and Beijing have been modernising their capabilities put in check the US Nuclear deterrence.
-
US FY2024 funding package passes as China closes military capability gap
The Pentagon has been operating under temporary funding since October 2023, which has impacted its main acquisition and development programmes, increasing the capability gap between the US and China.
-
NATO outlines future challenges as Ukrainian funding from US stalls
In 2023, defence spending increased by an unprecedented 11% across European NATO countries and Canada. Since 2014, the group has spent an additional US$600 billion on defence.
-
US Pentagon to reduce investments in main acquisition programmes over FY2025
The DoD requested nearly US$850 billion to fund operations over the next fiscal year. Despite the amount being 1% higher than the FY2024 budget request, it has not covered the 3% inflation rate, which could impact the DoD’s main programmes in the medium and long term.