ROK, DPRK, UN Command consult on disarming JSA in border area

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK), the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the United Nations Command consulted Tuesday on disarming the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the inter-Korean border area, according to Seoul's defense ministry cited by local media.

The closed-door consultation started at 10 am local time (0100 GMT) in the Freedom House, a building controlled by ROK in the border village of Panmunjom inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The consultation was made to discuss the disarmament of the JSA, which was agreed upon by defense chiefs of the two Koreas during the Pyongyang summit in September between ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un.

Soldiers from the two sides have conducted a 20-day operation to remove landmines inside the JSA, which was set up right after the halt of the Korean War, since Oct 1.

Following the landmine removal, the two sides planned to withdraw troops and firearms from the JSA.

After the disarmament, ROK and the DPRK would station a patrol of 35 soldiers each, including five officers, with no weapon inside the JSA.