North and South Korean troops are removing land mines scattered along their heavily fortified border in an effort to ease tensions between the two countries.
Removal operations began Monday at two sites inside the Demilitarized Zone: the Joint Security Area in the border village of Panmunjom and an area known as Arrow Head Hill. The plan is to remove all the land mines in the Joint Security Area over the next 20 days.
This is part of an agreement the two countries' leaders reached during last month's summit in Pyongyang. It's the first step in efforts to build trust between the historically feuding nations, and it's their first joint de-mining operation in over a decade.
There are an estimated 2 million mines buried in and around the more than 150-mile DMZ. A South Korean military spokesperson said the operation had begun on both sides, but North Korea has yet to give an official statement.
