?In this handout photo provided by South Korea's Ministry of National Defence, soldiers of South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) greet each other within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), on Dec. 12, 2018. South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) verified the pullout of 11 guard posts each across the inter-Korean border Wednesday inside the DMZ, which has left the Korean Peninsula divided since the 1950-53 Korean war ended with armistice. (Xinhua/South Korean Ministry of National Defence)
SEOUL, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) verified the pullout of 11 guard posts each across the inter-Korean border Wednesday inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which has left the Korean Peninsula divided since the 1950-53 Korean war ended with armistice.
Eleven South Korean teams, composed of seven soldiers each, crossed the military demarcation line (MDL) into the DPRK territory in the morning to conduct onsite verifications at 11 DPRK guard posts.
In the afternoon, the DPRK sent 11 seven-member teams for the onsite verification in the South Korean side.
South Korea and the DPRK withdrew weapons and troops from 11 guard posts, respectively, inside the DMZ under the military agreement, which defense chiefs of the two Koreas signed during the Pyongyang summit in September between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.
Seoul and Pyongyang later decided to preserve one guard post each for their historical value, destroying 10 guard posts.
The verification teams crossed the heavily armed border via newly-built paths linking the demolished guard posts.
President Moon watched the live coverage of the onsite verification for around 20 minutes in the afternoon at the crisis management center inside the presidential complex. He was also briefed by military commanders on the verification.
