North Korea blew up 10 of its front-line guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas on Tuesday in accordance with agreements made with South Korea earlier this year. </s> North Korea blew up 10 of its front-line guard posts in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas on Tuesday in accordance with agreements made with South Korea earlier this year.

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The explosions were carried out simultaneously within a four-minute time frame after the North notified the South of the project, according to South Korea’s Defense Ministry.

North Korean soldiers have been destroying the brick structures over the past couple of weeks. Analysts said they most likely decided to demolish the guard posts all at once to meet the Nov. 30 deadline.

A North Korean guard post that used to oversee the South Korean side of the heavily-fortified border was covered in black and white smoke after debris filled the air at the moment of the explosion. Video provided by South Korea’s defense ministry showed the process of dismantling the guard posts.

South Korea is also in the process of tearing down 10 concrete guard posts -- using excavators instead of dynamite for environmental reasons.

Jung Yeon-je/Pool via AP

“We aim to verify the dismantlement, and ultimately withdraw all guard posts in both North and South Korean border military demarcation line,” Choi Hyun-soo, South Korea’s defense ministry spokesperson said during a briefing Tuesday.

The demolition of guard posts on both sides of the border at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is part of a series of moves that South Korean president Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had agreed to completely ‘demilitarize’ the joint security area during the third inter-Korean summit in September.

“ ” We aim to verify the dismantlement, and ultimately withdraw all guard posts in both North and South Korean border military demarcation line.

Both sides had already withdrawn all firearms from a joint security area (JSA) in Panmunjom and military presence was limited last month to 35 unarmed military personnel each.

The next step will be to open up both sides of the Panmunjom to the public for guided tour groups by early next month.

But skeptics in Seoul say denuclearization talks must precede before any of these inter-Korean arms control measures are carried out.

“Demolishing guard posts are a meaningful step forward in the sense that in effect it will help minimize military conflict between the two countries, but conventional weapons control without denuclearization is not enough,” Shin Beom-chul, director of center for security and unification at the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies, told ABC News.

All the joint actions are preludes to a grand plan for a possible visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to Seoul, which the two countries hope to take place in December.

But analysts in Seoul say the much-anticipated fourth Kim-Moon summit will depend heavily on whether Washington and Pyongyang come to an agreement for a second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun and his South Korean counterpart Lee Do-Hoon will meet in Washington on Tuesday to discuss ongoing diplomatic efforts, sustained implementation of United Nations sanctions, and inter-Korean cooperation, according to the U.S. Department of State. </s> SEOUL, South Korea >> North Korea today blew up some of its front-line guard posts as part of an agreement to ease tensions along its heavily fortified border with South Korea, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said.

SEOUL, South Korea >> North Korea today blew up some of its front-line guard posts as part of an agreement to ease tensions along its heavily fortified border with South Korea, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said.

In September, the Koreas’ militaries agreed at a leaders’ summit in Pyongyang to eventually dismantle all guard posts inside the 248-kilometer (155-mile) -long, 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) -wide border. They later withdrew weapons and troops from 11 of their guard posts and decided to completely dismantle 10 of them by the end of November.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said it confirmed the dismantling of 10 North Korean guard posts today. It said North Korean soldiers had used hammers to tear down parts of the guard posts ahead of today’s near-simultaneous demolitions. A ministry statement said North Korea had informed the South of its plans in advance.

The ministry released photos showing parts of structures on what it said was the North Korean side of the central portion of the border, an explosion with black smoke at the site, and debris scattered around the area with no trace left of the structure.

South Korea began dismantling 10 of its guard posts with dynamite and excavators last week. Ministry officials said today that they haven’t completed the dismantling work yet.

The Korean border, the world’s most heavily armed with an estimated 2 million land mines, has been the site of deadly fighting and bloodshed. Called the Demilitarized Zone, it was originally created as a buffer at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea had about 60 posts inside the DMZ guarded by layers of barbed wire and manned by troops with machine guns. North Korea was estimated to have 160 such front-line posts. Once the dismantling is done, the two Koreas are to jointly verify their work by the end of December. They haven’t decided when they will dismantle the rest of the guard posts.

Under the September agreements, the Koreas have also taken steps to disarm the shared border village of Panmunjom, halted live-fire drills along the border and have been removing mines at a front-line area to conduct their first joint searches for Korean War dead.

Relations between the Koreas have improved since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reached out to South Korea and the United States early this year with a vague promise to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. U.S.-North Korea talks on the North’s nuclear program haven’t produced much progress since Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump held the countries’ first summit in Singapore in June. </s> SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea on Tuesday blew up some of its front-line guard posts as part of an agreement to ease tensions along its heavily fortified border with South Korea, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said.

In September, the Koreas’ militaries agreed at a leaders’ summit in Pyongyang to eventually dismantle all guard posts inside the 248-kilometer (155-mile) -long, 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) -wide border. They later withdrew weapons and troops from 11 of their guard posts and decided to completely dismantle 10 of them by the end of November.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said it confirmed the dismantling of 10 North Korean guard posts on Tuesday. A ministry statement said North Korea had informed the South of its plans in advance.

South Korea began dismantling 10 of its guard posts with dynamite and excavators last week. Ministry officials said Tuesday that they haven’t completed the demolitions yet.

More: North Korea running at least 13 secret operating bases for ballistic missile program, new study shows

The Korean border, the world’s most heavily armed with an estimated 2 million land mines, has been the site of deadly fighting and bloodshed. Called the Demilitarized Zone, it was originally created as a buffer at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea had about 60 posts inside the DMZ guarded by layers of barbed wire and manned by troops with machine guns. North Korea was estimated to have 160 such front-line posts. Once the dismantling is done, the two Koreas are to jointly verify their work by the end of December. They haven’t decided when they will dismantle the rest of the guard posts. </s> Seoul, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Tuesday blew up some of its front-line guard posts as part of an agreement to ease tensions along its heavily fortified border with South Korea, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said.

In September, the Koreas’ militaries agreed at a leaders’ summit in Pyongyang to eventually dismantle all guard posts inside the 248-kilometer-long, 4-kilometer-wide border. They later withdrew weapons and troops from 11 of their guard posts and decided to completely dismantle 10 of them by the end of November.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry said it confirmed the dismantling of 10 North Korean guard posts on Tuesday. A ministry statement said North Korea had informed the South of its plans in advance.

South Korea began dismantling 10 of its guard posts with dynamite and excavators last week. Ministry officials said Tuesday that they haven’t completed the demolitions yet.

The Korean border, the world’s most heavily armed with an estimated 2 million land mines, has been the site of deadly fighting and bloodshed. Called the Demilitarized Zone, it was originally created as a buffer at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

South Korea had about 60 posts inside the DMZ guarded by layers of barbed wire and manned by troops with machine guns. North Korea was estimated to have 160 such front-line posts. Once the dismantling is done, the two Koreas are to jointly verify their work by the end of December. They haven’t decided when they will dismantle the rest of the guard posts.

Under the September agreements, the Koreas have also taken steps to disarm their shared border village of Panmunjom, halted live-fire drills along the border and have been removing mines at a front-line area to conduct their first joint searches for Korean War dead.

Relations between the Koreas have improved since North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reached out to South Korea and the United States early this year with a vague promise to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. U.S.-North Korea talks on the North’s nuclear program haven’t produced much progress since Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump held the countries’ first summit in Singapore in June. </s> SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea says North Korea has blown up some of its own frontline guard posts as part of agreements to ease tensions in the rivals' heavily fortified border.

The Defense Ministry says its military confirmed the dismantling of 10 North Korean guard posts on Tuesday. It says North Korea had informed the South of its plans in advance.

In September, the Koreas agreed to dismantle all of guard posts inside the 248-kilometer (155-mile) -long, 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) -wide border. They later each withdrew weapons and troops from 11 of their guard posts and decided to completely dismantle 10 of them.

South Korea has been dismantling 10 of its guard posts with dynamites and excavators.

The Korea's border has been the site of numerous cases of deadly fighting and bloodshed. </s> SEOUL: Soldiers from North and South Korea are set to verify the dismantlement of guard posts in the demilitarised zone Wednesday (Dec 12), Seoul said, after crossing into each other's territory peacefully for the first time.

The removal of 20 posts along the heavily-fortified frontier was one of the steps agreed at a September summit between the South's President Moon Jae-in and the North's leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, part of a rapid reconciliation drive on the peninsula.

In November, North Korea blew up the 10 facilities while the South tore down 10 on its own side using excavators.

Seoul's defence ministry said early Wednesday that South Korean inspectors will visit each of the guard posts on the North's side to verify their dismantlement and to ensure that all firearms and troops have been removed.

North Korean inspectors will carry out the same process at the South's bunkers, it added.

"This marks the first time since the division that the soldiers of the North and South ... are peacefully crossing the military demarcation line," the ministry said in a statement.

The dovish Moon has pursued a policy of engagement with its isolated, nuclear-armed neighbour, in increasing contrast to Washington, which insists pressure should be maintained on Pyongyang until it denuclearises.

Despite its name, the area around the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) is one of the most fortified places on earth, replete with minefields and barbed-wire fences.

But under plans to ease tensions agreed in Pyongyang, the two Koreas have demilitarised the border truce village of Panmunjom, leaving it manned by 35 unarmed personnel from each side.

Officially called the Joint Security Area (JSA), the enclave is the only spot along the 250km frontier where soldiers from the two Koreas and the US-led UN Command stand face to face. </s> North Korean soldiers move to inspect a dismantled guard post inside the Demilitarized Zone, while a South Korean soldier stands guard in the central section of the border on Dec 12, 2018.

SEOUL - Soldiers from North and South Korea crossed into each other's territory peacefully for the first time on Wednesday (Dec 12), Seoul said, as they began checking the dismantlement of guard posts in the Demilitarised Zone.

The North invaded the South in 1950, triggering the Korean War, and Seoul went on to change hands four times as Pyongyang's Chinese-backed forces and the US-led UN troops supporting the South fought their way up and down the peninsula and back again.

The conflict ended in an armistice in 1953, leaving the two technically still in a state of war, but a rapid reconciliation has taken place this year.

The South's President Moon Jae-in and Mr Kim Jong Un, leader of the nuclear-armed North, agreed to remove a limited number of guard posts along their heavily-fortified frontier at a September summit in Pyongyang, among other measures.

North Korea blew up 10 of its facilities in November, while the South tore 10 down on its own side using excavators.

South Korean inspectors visited each of the guard posts on the North's side on Wednesday to make sure they had been dismantled and all firearms and troops removed, Seoul's Defence Ministry said.

North Korean inspectors carried out the same process at the South's bunkers in the afternoon, it added.

North Korean soldiers working near the Military Demarcation Line to construct a tactical road to support a joint war remains recovery project in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas in Cheorwon.

Video footage showed armed South Korean soldiers shaking hands with North Korean personnel at the military demarcation line in the centre of the DMZ, before crossing to the other side.

Led by the North Koreans, the Southerners walked along a path where the North's guard posts had once stood, soldiers from both sides taking photos and filming the process as they chatted.

"This marks the first time since the division that the soldiers of the North and South... are peacefully crossing the military demarcation line," the ministry said in a statement.

The North is known to have more guard posts - which include both surface structures and underground elements - and according to Yonhap news agency, it now has around 150 in the DMZ, with the South having about 50.

Despite its name, the area around the DMZ is one of the most fortified places on earth, replete with minefields and barbed-wire fences.

But under the plans to ease tensions agreed in Pyongyang, the two Koreas have demilitarised the border truce village of Panmunjom, leaving it manned by 35 unarmed personnel from each side.

Officially called the Joint Security Area (JSA), the enclave is the only spot along the 250-kilometre frontier where soldiers from the two Koreas and the US-led UN Command stand face-to-face.

The dovish Mr Moon has pursued a policy of engagement with the North, in increasing contrast to Washington, which insists pressure should be maintained on Pyongyang until it denuclearises. </s> South Korea had about 60 posts inside the DMZ guarded by layers of barbed wire and manned by troops with machine guns. North Korea was estimated to have 160 such front-line posts. Once the dismantling is done, the two Koreas are to jointly verify their work by the end of December. They haven't decided when they will dismantle the rest of the guard posts.
North Korea blows up ten of its front-line guard posts in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in accordance with agreements made with South Korea earlier this year.