Executing Agreements

[Anchor Lead]

Thursday was the first day of halting hostility at the inter-Korean border. As the two sides had promised, all coastal artillery gunports were closed down in the Northern Limit Line area in the Yellow Sea. Meanwhile, the South Korean military said it will faithfully follow the inter-Korean military agreement while maintaining combat readiness.

[Pkg]

This is North Korea's Jaengjaedo Island situated seven kilometers from South Korea's Yeonpyeongdo Island. The two islands are separated by the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea. Behind Jangjaedo Island sits the Gaemeori Peninsula, from which North Korea shelled Yeongpyeongdo Island back in 2010. This is where North Korea deployed coastal artillery targeting the South's north-western islands. On Thursday, the first day of halting hostility at the inter-Korean border, all gunports in the area had been closed down. The South Korean military said it has confirmed that all but one of some 60 North Korean coastal artillery gunports targeting the north-western islands of South Korea, were closed. The remaining one gunport apparently had technical problems. North Korea, however, promised to close it immediately. The two Koreas will install covers on portholes of their naval artilleries in the buffer zone and suspend maritime drills.

[Soundbite] Chung Eui-yong(Director, National Security Office) : "These measures are meaningful in that they significantly lower the risk of clashes in the Yellow Seabuffer zone, where the South and the North used to often exchange fire. However, the South Korean military added that it continues to monitor the North around the clock and is conducting "dry firing" drills three to four times a day, to maintain combat readiness."

[Soundbite] Park Han-ki(Joint Chiefs of Staff) : "The South Korean military will provide strong support in implementing the inter-Korean military agreement signed in September based on mutual trust."

The South Korean military stressed that it will make sure that no loopholes occur by holding target practice drills at shooting ranges on land.