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South and North Korea hoist yellow flags at 11 guard posts on each side of the DMZ in the beginning of the trial phase of the disarmament process mentioned in an inter-Korean military agreement signed on Sept. 19. (provided by MND)

On Nov. 4, South and North Korea hoisted yellow flags at 11 guard posts on each side of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), marking the beginning of an attempt to dismantle these guards posts on a trial basis. South and North Korea raised yellow flags that measured 4m wide and 3m tall on Sunday morning in order to clearly identify the guard posts that are being closed, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) explained.

“The procedure to dismantle the guard posts on a trial basis began with the hoisting of the yellow flags. The flags were raised in order to increase transparency and mutual trust by enabling military officials from both sides to clearly observe and confirm progress toward dismantling the posts,” explained an MND official.

The two sides have discussed the procedure for the trial program of dismantling the guard posts using the military communication lines on the West Sea since Nov. 1.

“Moving forward, the South and North Korean military authorities will continue to work together to ensure that the removal of soldiers and equipment and demolition of the guard posts can be completed by the end of November and that the mutual verification process can also be completed by mid-December,” the MND said.

South and North Korea agreed to dismantle 11 guard posts on each side on a trial basis by the end of the year in the Comprehensive Military Agreement (CMA), which was signed on Sept. 19. Then during the 10th round of general-level military talks that were held at Panmunjom on Oct. 26, they agreed to completely dismantle the guard posts in question by the end of November.

By Park Min-hee, staff reporter

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