South Korea Begins Removing Mines Along Border With The North

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met North Korea's Kim Jong-un in the demilitarised zone earlier this year (Picture: PA).

South Korea has begun to remove mines from the Korean War inside the fortified border with North Korea.   

The move comes after tentative reconciliation between North and South Korea this year; the result of which has been a rapid de-escalation of tension between the two countries. 

Observers expect North Korea will follow suit shortly but sources in South Korea were unable to say when.

South Korean troops entered the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) on Monday morning and began to remove mines from the village of Panmunjom.

It’s estimated that within the 155-mile-long DMZ there remain two million mines and the decades-old tension between Seoul and Pyongyang have prevented action being taken to clear up the area.

The DMZ is still the most heavily militarised part of the world, encircled by barbed wire, tanks and stony-faced troops on both sides.

North and South have agreed to scrap 11 guard posts along the border by December and create a no-fly zone that should see a reduction in accidental standoffs between the two countries.