North and South Korea begin destroying border guard posts
- Ten watchtowers are being taken down by each country, but around 200 will remain – 150 on the North’s and 50 in the South
The two Koreas began destroying 20 guard posts along their heavily-fortified frontier on Sunday under a plan to reduce tensions on the border.
Under an agreement made between their generals in late October, North and South Korea agreed to each remove 10 posts and preserve one on either side.
The militaries began destroying the guard posts in the demilitarised zone dividing the two Koreas after withdrawing troops and equipment from them, Yonhap news agency reported, citing Seoul’s defence ministry.
South Korea has around 60 posts along the rest of the border while the North has about 160.
The border truce village of Panmunjom – or the Joint Security Area (JSA) – is the only spot along the tense, 250-km (155-mile) frontier where soldiers from the two Koreas and the US-led UN Command stand face to face.
