South Korea will resume excavation of Korean War remains inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) this week.
 
The Defense Ministry said in a release on Sunday that it will resume the work to remove mines and excavate war remains on the South Korean side of Arrowhead Ridge starting on Monday as preparations to implement the inter-Korean project as agreed in accordance with the September 19 military pact.
 
The pact refers to the inter-Korean military accord signed by the defense chiefs of the two Koreas on September 19, 2018 when President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a summit in Pyongyang.
 
Under the accord that stipulates a series of peace-building and tension-reducing measures, Seoul and Pyongyang had planned to carry out the joint excavation project on Arrowhead Ridge, one of the fiercest battlefields during the war.
 
But South Korea carried out the project alone last year, as the North did not respond to calls for joint implementation.
 
The ministry said it will continue to make efforts to encourage the North to respond and will make preparations to launch the joint project at any time.