DMZ RICE PLANTING EVENT

[Anchor Lead]

The South Korean government's efforts to maintain the peaceful mood with North Korea continue, as a special rice planting event was held inside the Civilian Control Line in the Demilitarized Zone. The event was organized to wish for cross-border peace. We take you to the DMZ for the details.

[Pkg]

This otherwise deserted rice field inside the Civilian Control Line in the Demilitarized Zone looks busy today, with people planting rice seedlings under the scorching sun. Some 200 people, from elementary school students to those in their 60s, carefully plant the rice of inter-Korean peace.

[Soundbite] BYEON DO-YEONG(GUNNAE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL) : "I planted rice with the hope that South and North Korea would live in peace."

The event was organized to wish for improved cross-border relations so that many pending issues, such as separated family reunions and letter exchanges, can be resolved smoothly.

[Soundbite] KIM JIN-TAE(PAJU ICT VOLUNTEER CORPS) : "I came to plant our fervent wish that both sides would make compromises to bring peace in the near future."

To demonstrate the South Koreans' hope for peace, a phrase "Paju, the peace capital of the Korean Peninsula" was created on the ground with colored rice plants. This field will deliver a message of peace to tourists visiting the observatory. The rice plants of peace planted at the site of division and confrontation represent the ardent wish of the Korean people for peace and national reunification.