The South Korean military has estimated it would take some 200 years to eliminate all land mines buried along the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ).

An Army official told reporters on Tuesday that the land mine area on the southern side of the DMZ and within the Civilian Access Control Line on both sides is about 40 times the size of Seoul's Yeouido.

The official added even if all eleven engineering battalions of the front-line division are deployed, it would take some 200 years to complete the task of land mine elimination.

The official also emphasized the need to establish an entity within the Army to handle the task, in preparation for the two Koreas' joint excavation of remains of soldiers killed during the Korean War and other DMZ projects agreed on by their leaders in April.

Another Army official said drones should be utilized to ensure the safety of such projects, while also highlighting the need for specialized tanks and construction facilities equipped with bombproof technologies.