On 1 November 2018, buffer zones were established across the DMZ by the North and South Korean militaries. In compliance with the Comprehensive Military Agreement which was signed at the September 2018 inter-Korean summit, the buffer zone helps ensure that both North and South Korea will effectively ban hostility on land, air, and sea. Both Koreas are prohibited from conducting live-fire artillery drills and regiment-level field maneuvering exercises or those by bigger units within 5 kilometers of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL). The buffer zones stretch from the north of Deokjeok Island to the south of Cho Island in the West Sea and the north of Sokcho city and south of Tongchon County in the East (Yellow) Sea.