SEOUL -- North and South Korea began Monday to remove landmines from the Demilitarized Zone separating them, the South's Defense Ministry said, as the long-hostile neighbors took the first step in a defusing process agreed on at last month's summit.
The demining project began at the Joint Security Area -- also known as the truce village of Panmunjom -- as well as farther east along the border in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, where both sides plan to excavate Korean War remains. According to a bilateral military agreement, the mines at Panmunjom will be cleared out within 20 days, with guard posts, personnel and ordnance to be removed as well, with a goal of disarming the area completely within the month.
