REMOVAL OF GUARD POSTS

[Anchor Lead]

In accordance with the inter-Korean military agreement, South and North Korea withdrew their forces from guard posts along the Demilitarized Zone last November. A month later, soldiers from South and North Korea met to jointly verify the removal of the frontline guard posts. The moment of contact was captured in a body camera carried by a South Korean soldier, and for the first time, the video footage has been revealed to the media.

[Pkg]

The Demilitarized Zone. The tension is thick. A group of soldiers walk along a narrow path. The trail was opened and used for the first time since the Korean War Armistice agreement 65 years ago. The soldiers, breathing heavily, comes to a stop. Marked with a yellow flag, this is the Military Demarcation Line that divides the two Koreas. Soldiers from up North soon appear. Silence in the DMZ is disturbed by the sounds of camera shutters. The soldiers from across the border, meeting for the first time, exchange warm greetings.

[Soundbite] North Korean soldier : "Hello."

[Soundbite] South Korean soldier : "Hello. Nice to meet you."

[Soundbite] North Korean soldier : "I am Army Lieutenant Colonel Ri Jong-su. I am here to guide South Korean soldiers."

[Soundbite] S. Korean soldier : "Lieutenant Colonel Ri, nice to meet you."

[Soundbite] N. Korean soldier : "What's your name?"

[Soundbite] S. Korean soldier : "I am Colonel Yoon Myoung-sik. Very nice to meet you. Today is a historic day, as this is the first time for South and North Koreans to meet on a trail paved in the Demilitarized Zone."

[Soundbite] N. Korean soldier : "We hope this trail will connect North and South Korea in the future."

They cross the Military Demarcation Line together. Some soldiers who reached the hill first take photos of the inter-Korean contact and verification. The two sides promised to meet again soon. However, that promise has not yet been kept, due to strained cross-border relations.