Two Koreas, UNC to hold talks over JSA disarmament today

The two Koreas and the U.S.-led U.N. Command will hold the second round of their working-level talks Monday over disarming the Joint Security Area (JSA) in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), Seoul's defense ministry said.

The trilateral talks are set to take place at the Freedom House, a South Korea-controlled building at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the DMZ at 10 a.m.

The two Koreas agreed to disarm the JSA under the military agreement their countries' defense chiefs signed during the third summit between President Moon Jae-in and the North's leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang last month. The UNC overseas activities inside the DMZ.

"This meeting is aimed at checking and evaluating the status of demining operations at the JSA and consulting over schedules for withdrawing firearms and guard posts and adjusting guard personnel, as well as future plans for mutual verifications," the ministry said in a press release.

The South and North will be represented by Army Col. Cho Yong-geun and Army Col. Om Chang-nam, respectively. The UNC's delegation will be headed by U.S. Army Col. Burke Hamilton, the Military Armistice Committee secretary.

Separately, the two Koreas' militaries decided to hold general-grade talks to discuss the enforcement of their recent military agreement at Tongilgak, a North Korean building in Panmunjom on Friday.

Seoul first made the proposal for the talks, which Pyongyang later accepted, Seoul officials said.

Major Gen. Kim Do-gyun will lead South Korea's delegation, while the North Korean side will be represented by Lt. Gen. An Ik-san.

The military agreement entails a series of measures to reduce tensions, prevent accidental clashes and build mutual trust. They include setting up air, ground and maritime buffer zones, withdrawing some border guard posts and disarming the JSA. (Yonhap)