South and North Korea have signed a temporary military agreement guaranteeing the safety of test runs for recently reconnected inter-Korean railways, removing the last obstacle to the trials, which begin on May 17th.

Generals from the two Koreas made the announcement in a joint press release following their fifth meeting at the truce village of Panmunjeom on Friday.

They said that they would save discussions on permanent military security guarantees for later.

South and North Korea also agreed, in principle, to create a joint fishing zone with a view to establishing peace in the West Sea and promoting mutual prosperity. Details will be worked out in follow-up meetings.

The two Koreas pledged to continue discussing military security measures to prevent clashes in the West Sea and guarantee safe construction work on the Han River and the Imjin River.

Other measures to be dealt with in future talks include the opening of a direct flight from South Korea to the North Korean city of Haeju. Seoul and Pyongyang plan to discuss the issue further as their militaries build mutual trust in the West Sea.

The two sides also pledged to hold their second defense chiefs talks as soon as possible. The next round of inter-Korean general-level talks is scheduled for July.