SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have connected tactical road across the border inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to help excavate the remains of fallen soldiers during the 1950-53 Korean War, Seoul's defense ministry said Thursday.
The military authorities of South Korea and the DPRK had conducted construction works to build a 3-km-long road across the military demarcation line (MDL) inside the DMZ beginning October, the Seoul ministry said.
The unpaved road was built near the Arrowhead Ridge in Cheorwon, about 90 km northeast of South Korea's capital Seoul. The South Korean part of the road is about 1.7 km long, with the DPRK side spanning some 1.3 km.
It will be used to transport personnel and equipment for the inter-Korean project to jointly excavate the remains of soldiers killed during the Korean War.
The excavation project will last from April to October next year on a trial basis inside the DMZ, which has left the Korean Peninsula divided since the war ended with armistice.
The project was a part of the military agreement, which was signed by defense chiefs of the two Koreas during the Pyongyang summit in September between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un.
De-mining operations were underway for the launch of next year's remains retrieval project.
The two Koreas first linked their road across the border along the western coast of the peninsula in 2003, connecting the second one in late 2004 along the eastern coast. The Cheorwon lies at the center of the peninsula.
