Maj. Gen. Kim Do-gyun (R), official of the South Korean Defense Ministry in charge of theinter-Korean military affairs, shakes hands with Lt. Gen. An Ik-san of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) during the general-level military talks at the border village of Panmunjom on July 31, 2018. (Xinhua/Joint Press Corps)
SEOUL, July 31 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DRPK) shared understanding on the trial withdrawal of guard posts from areas near the inter-Korean border, according to the South Korean joint media pool reports.
The result came after military delegations from the two sides held general-grade talks on Tuesday at the Peace House, a South Korean building in the border village of Panmunjom.
The five-member delegations from South Korea and the DPRK shared views over the pullout of guard posts inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ), a buffer zone separating the two Koreas, on a trial basis.
The two Koreas also understood the need to disarm the Joint Security Area (JSA), a jointly controlled area in Panmunjom, and to jointly excavate the remains inside the DMZ of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.
The military delegations, however, failed to reach any agreement on the issues and to announce any joint statement.
Maj. Gen. Kim Do-gyun, a chief South Korean delegate, told reporters after the talks that the two sides agreed to continue dialogue on how and when to implement the issues through exchange of letters and working-level contacts.
The general-level military dialogue between the two Koreas came as the second of its kind after the April 27 summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.
During the summit, Moon and Kim agreed to reduce tensions near the border areas and stop all hostile acts.
During the general-level military dialogue on June 14, the two Koreas agreed to completely restore military hotlines along the eastern and western corridors across the inter-Korean border. It was the first such dialogue in more than a decade.