남북 DMZ내 시범철수 GP 상호검증+ 문대통령 "GP 상호검증, 분단사 획긋는 사건…신뢰구축 모범"

In September, the two Koreas agreed to tear down several front-line guard posts on each side of the border -- in the end, settling on 11 guard posts each.
Today, they carried out joint inspections... to verify that they have been removed.
Our defense ministry correspondent Park Ji-won reports.
South Korea's defense ministry announced Wednesday that the South Korean teams of inspectors first verified the removal of North Korean guard posts in the morning,... and the North Korean teams came south in the afternoon.
According to the ministry,.. the inspectors verified that the guard posts have been completely disarmed and demolished... and that any underground facilities were destroyed as well.
The inspection teams were led by active-duty military officers of colonel-level rank,... and they used cross-border foot paths between each pair of guard posts built specifically for the purpose.
It was the first time in 65 years... for active-duty soldiers to peacefully cross the Military Demarcation Line.
The eleven guard posts on each side,... located within one kilometer of the Military Demarcation Line,... were marked for demolition during inter-Korean military talks earlier this year.
The two Koreas had agreed to get rid of a number of them in September's comprehensive inter-Korean military agreement,.. as a show of both sides' willingness to stop all hostile acts against each other.
From November,... the two sides began removing firearms and troops from them,... and then tore down the structures,... but decided to preserve one of them each... for historical reasons.
Meanwhile,.. earlier in the day,... President Moon Jae-in was briefed about the inspection by the defense minister Jeong Kyeong-doo and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Park Han-ki,... as he watched live footage of the process.
President Moon called the joint inspction a watershed event... that shows both Koreas' determination to build trust and reduce tensions.
"I believe if our military firmly supports the ongoing peace process on the Korean Peninsula, today's footpath will become a road to peace, and the DMZ will become a land of peace. The two Koreas have built trust today, with both militaries steadily implementing our summit agreements. This trust is the most important force for realizing a Korean Peninsula free from war."
President Moon also called the verification an exemplary case in the international community of military trust-building.
Park Ji-won, Arirang News.