ROK, DPRK, UN Command hold 2nd consultation 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 held the second consultation Monday on disarming the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the inter-Korean border area, Seoul's defense ministry said.

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

The first one was held on Oct 16.

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

Soldiers from the ROK and the DPRK conducted a 20-day operation to remove landmines inside the JSA from Oct 1. The JSA was set up right after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice.

The ROK and the DPRK planned to withdraw troops, firearms and guard posts from the JSA.

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