ROK, DPRK share understanding on trial withdrawal of border guard posts

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DRPK) shared understanding on the trial withdrawal of guard posts from areas near the inter-Korean border, according to the ROK joint media pool reports.

The result came after military delegations from the two sides held general-grade talks on Tuesday at the Peace House, a ROK building in the border village of Panmunjom.

The five-member delegations from the ROK and the DPRK shared views over the pullout of guard posts inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ), a buffer zone separating the two Koreas, on a trial basis.

The two Koreas also understood the need to disarm the Joint Security Area (JSA), a jointly controlled area in Panmunjom, and to jointly excavate the remains inside the DMZ of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.

The military delegations, however, failed to reach any agreement on the issues and to announce any joint statement.

Maj. Gen. Kim Do-gyun, a chief ROK delegate, told reporters after the talks that the two sides agreed to continue dialogue on how and when to implement the issues through exchange of letters and working-level contacts.

The general-level military dialogue between the two Koreas came as the second of its kind after the April 27 summit between ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.

During the summit, Moon and Kim agreed to reduce tensions near the border areas and stop all hostile acts.

During the general-level military dialogue on June 14, the two Koreas agreed to completely restore military hotlines along the eastern and western corridors across the inter-Korean border. It was the first such dialogue in more than a decade.