Disarming the Joint Security Area at the DMZ is a step forward in the process of easing military tensions between the two Koreas, which are technically still at war.
Because of how intense the atmosphere has been at the JSA over the decades,... international media outlets are keeping close tabs on the disarmament, calling it a "pathway to peace."
Our Park Hee-jun reports. Firearms and military posts have been removed from the heavily fortified Joint Security Area in the DMZ,... where armed soldiers from the two sides once stared each other down.
It was done to fulfill the agreement made by President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the Pyeongyang Joint Declaration signed in September.
This step toward establishing a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula is not only big deal in South Korea,... it's causing a buzz around the world.

At the beginning of the process, CNN reported that the two Koreas began demilitarizing one of the most dangerous borders on the planet,... once called the "scariest place on earth" by former U.S. President Bill Clinton."
China's CGTN referred to the JSA as "the world's most heavily fortified frontier" and "the very last real vestige of the Cold War."

Because of the importance of the JSA's transformation, the move is being considered a "big symbolic step", "an unprecedented step", and an "iconic moment" amid the peace drive on the Korean Peninsula.

Once the disarmament process is complete,... the JSA will soon be reopened to tourists.
Both Koreans and foreigners will be able to cross the Military Demarcation Line freely from 9AM to 5PM,... and recreate the historic moment when the leaders of the two Koreas crossed the line together at the inter-Korean summit back in April.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.