” We aim to verify the dismantlement, and ultimately withdraw all guard posts in both North and South Korean border military demarcation line.
(MORE: Moon, Kim sign agreement for North Korea to take further steps to denuclearize) Both sides had already withdrawn all firearms from a joint security area (JSA) in Panmunjom and military presence was limited last month to 35 unarmed military personnel each.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.
(MORE: Kim Jong Un will visit Seoul in near future, South Korean president says) 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.
Kaynak:Abcnews