By Kim Bo-eun
The two Koreas began a joint survey of a waterway on Monday to examine possible use of the estuaries of the Han and Imjin rivers.
It is the first joint survey of this area in 65 years since North Korea signed an armistice with the U.S. and China for the 1950-53 Korean War.
The survey team is comprised of 10 military and maritime officials as well as waterway experts from each side.
The team will board six South Korean vessels to conduct the survey, in which the depth of the river will be measured.
The Koreas have agreed not to carry weapons or explosives and will not use provocative language during the survey period.
In the military accord reached at the third inter-Korean summit in September, the South and North agreed to conduct the joint survey by the end of the year.
At a general-level military meeting held last month, the Koreas agreed to begin the survey early this month.
The estuaries they have agreed to use jointly span around 280 square kilometers.
They can be used for tourism, ecological protection and collection of construction aggregate.
The South and North reached a similar agreement to seek joint use of the estuaries at the 2007 inter-Korean summit but failed to push forward with the plan after inter-Korean relations became strained.