Two Koreas to hold general-level military talks this week

The two Koreas are set to hold general-level military talks Tuesday to discuss measures to enforce the military part of their April summit agreement.

The meeting, the first since June 14, will take place at the Peace House, a South Korea-controlled building at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas, at 10 a.m., according to Seoul officials.

Major Gen. Kim Do-gyun will lead South Korea’s five-member delegation, while the North Korean side will be represented by Lt. Gen. An Ik-san.

The two sides are expected to discuss measures to put into action their leaders’ summit agreement to make joint efforts to alleviate military tensions and “practically eliminate the danger of war.”

Observers said that the two sides could exchange views on disarming the Joint Security Area in Panmunjom as part of efforts to transform the DMZ into a “peace zone,” an issue that they discussed at last month’s talks.  

Attention is also being drawn to whether they will discuss Seoul’s idea of withdrawing forces and their equipment from border guard posts in stages on a “trial basis.” The South runs some 60 guard posts in the DMZ while the North has around 160.

Another possible agenda item is a joint project to excavate remains of troops who were killed during the 1950-53 Korean War and buried in the DMZ.

During last month’s talks, the first in more than a decade, the two sides agreed to completely restore their military communication lines. (Yonhap)