By Lee Min-hyung
North Korea completed demolishing 10 guard posts on its side near the inter-Korean border area, the South's Ministry of National Defense said.
“As of 3 p.m., Tuesday, North Korea blew up its 10 frontline guard posts, as part of a recent inter-Korean agreement,” a military official said.
Under the agreement, the two Koreas reached a consensus to destroy 10 guard posts on each side of the border area by the end of this month. South Korea started demolishing posts on its side on Thursday but has yet to complete destroying all 10.
“Military authorities from the two sides will finish destroying the posts by the end of this month and carry out bilateral verification next month to check whether they have thoroughly demolished the posts,” said the official.
The latest announcement came as part of the North's efforts to fulfill the Comprehensive Military Agreement, signed during the inter-Korean summit in September. The agreement includes a series of bilateral pledges to ease military tension near the border area and relieve armed confrontation near the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
South Korea is still working on demolishing the 10 posts, but no timeline has been confirmed over when it will finish their demolition.
The ongoing military tension-easing started this year when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered a rare gesture of peace to South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Leaders from the two Koreas have so far held three summits this year.
Starting last month, the two Koreas have also been conducting activities such as the removal of mines near the border area.
On Oct. 25, the two Koreas also finished withdrawing firearms and troops from guard posts at the Joint Security Area (JSA) as part of their common goal of disarming the border area.
The United Nations Command also finished verification of the JSA disarmament last month, raising hopes that civilians and foreign tourists might in the future be able to visit the area freely.