Korean soldiers cross DMZ first time since division

IANS  |  Seoul 

Korean soldiers have made several friendly crossings along the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) into each other's territory for the first time since the countries were divided, Seoul's said on Thursday.

"This marks the first time since the division that the soldiers of the .. are peacefully crossing the demarcation line," the Ministry said in a statement.

Footage showed the soldiers shaking hands at the border before crossing.

As part of the talks between the divided peninsula, the South's Moon Jae-in and the North's agreed to remove some of the posts on the heavily fortified border.

Since November, both have blown up or dismantled 10 of their border posts.

Both sides still have more posts in the DMZ, both over and underground.

Last month, a train travelled from South across the border into North for the first time in decades, as part of a commitment by to help modernise its

There has been speculation that Kim could visit this year but the earlier this week said that no such trip was expected before 2019.

Despite its misleading name, the DMZ is one of the world's most heavily fortified places, the said.

The area is a strip of land, 250 km long and 4 km wide that runs across the peninsula.

It is heavily mined and fortified with barbed wire, rows of surveillance cameras and electric fencing - and is guarded by tens of thousands of troops on both sides.

--IANS

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First Published: Thu, December 13 2018. 12:16 IST