SEOUL, April 1 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's defense ministry said Monday that the military independently launched the excavation works for the remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War in areas bordering the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The militaries of South Korea and the DPRK originally planned to jointly start the excavation of the war remains in the Arrowhead Ridge inside the eastern part of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) from April 1 on a trial basis.
However, the DPRK had yet to respond to the agreed-upon excavation works, according to the Seoul ministry.
The joint excavation was agreed upon through the Sept. 19 military agreement, which was signed by defense chiefs of the two Koreas during the third summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang last September.
It was part of the inter-Korean peace-building efforts inside the DMZ, which has divided the Korean Peninsula since the Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
The South Korean side independently sent about 100 personnel for the excavation works, which would initially focus on spadework and the additional demining in the heavily armed border area.
South Korea offered in mid-March to the DPRK holding a general-grade dialogue to discuss the implementation of the military agreement, but Pyongyang has yet to reply.
