South Korea has begun removing devices used for propaganda purposes along the demilitarized zone.

An official of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said that loudspeaker batteries at a military base near the Mount Odu observatory along the Imjin River at the western border were demolished Wednesday morning. The official said all the other loudspeaker batteries, electronic billboards and other propaganda facilities along the 250-kilometer border will be removed gradually by August 15th.

The official said North Korea has also begun taking down propaganda signs and loudspeakers along the northern side of the military demarcation line.

The move by the two Koreas is a follow-up measure to an agreement reached at two rounds of general-level military talks convened this and last month in a bid to ease military tensions along their shared border.