North and South Korea remove landmines at border
The two Koreas on 1 October started to remove landmines along a section of their heavily fortified border as part of a summit deal to ease military tensions, Seoul said.
The agreement between the nations – which are technically still at war – was reached at a meeting in Pyongyang in September 2018 between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un.
The summit was the third this year between the leaders, following a rapid thaw in relations.
Both sides undertook to carry out landmine removal work at the Joint Security Area (JSA) over a 20-day period, according to the South Korean defence ministry.
A spokesman said the operation had begun on both sides, though this was not confirmed by the North.
The JSA, also known as the truce village of Panmunjom, is the only spot along the tense, 250km frontier where troops from the two countries stand face to face.
It is often used as a venue for talks between the two Koreas.
More than 800,000 mines are believed to have been planted along the entire border during and after the 1950-53 war to defend against infiltration.
Moon has advocated dialogue with the isolated North to nudge it toward denuclearisation.
During his summit with Kim in September 2018, the two leaders also agreed to remove some guard posts at the border by the end of 2018 and halt military drills on the border from November.
You may also like
More from Land Warfare
-
![Rheinmetall wins communications deal that could be worth up to €400 million]()
Rheinmetall wins communications deal that could be worth up to €400 million
The systems have been purchased under a special fund which has already been tapped into for the purchase of 60 CH-47F Block II Chinook helicopters worth up to €8 billion (US$8.7 billion) and thousands of Rheinmetall Caracal airmobile special operations vehicles worth €1.9 billion.
-
![Italy weighs up the challenge of its tank replacement plans]()
Italy weighs up the challenge of its tank replacement plans
The Russia–Ukraine war has continued to be the place the world’s militaries have been watching for lessons on both the EW and uncrewed front. Its conventional war aspect, however, has also been catching the attention of leaders.
-
![The Philippines looks to Israel for military equipment amid South China Sea tensions]()
The Philippines looks to Israel for military equipment amid South China Sea tensions
The southeast Asian country has been enhancing its military readiness by procuring advanced Israeli defence platforms and systems.
-
![NSPA signs new helmet system framework deal and agreement for C-UAS systems]()
NSPA signs new helmet system framework deal and agreement for C-UAS systems
The Caiman helmet has been designed to be scalable for dynamic operations with mission-specific accessories and can incorporate electronics, communications headsets and other critical equipment.
-
![US Missile Defense Agency’s budget could be cut by $2.6 billion over the next three years]()
US Missile Defense Agency’s budget could be cut by $2.6 billion over the next three years
The reduction would impact several acquisition and development programmes, creating capabilities gaps in US missile defence architecture.
-
![Israel ramps up Arrow-4 development following Iranian attack]()
Israel ramps up Arrow-4 development following Iranian attack
Israel’s Ministry of Defense has fast-tracked the development of the Arrow-4 ballistic missile interceptor in response to recent Iranian ballistic missile attacks.
