South Korea will shift a line running parallel to the military border with North Korea to narrow the area that restricts civilian access to reflect an evolving security environment and for the convenience of local residents, the defence minister said on Wednesday.
The so-called Civilian Control Line is currently as much as 10 km (6.2 miles) to the south of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) drawn up at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Authorisation by the military is required to enter the area.
Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said the change that will shift the civilian access line by an average of 6 km from the MDL is in response to years of requests by residents and is made possible by improved defence readiness.
As many as 20,000 people reside inside the zone according to media reports, and others enter the area to farm or work going through authorisation procedures.
The ministry also announced other changes that will ease restrictions imposed on areas near the border, including a relaxed reporting guideline on operating drones for farming purposes.
The liberal government of President Lee Jae Myung, who took office last year, has taken a series of steps aimed at easing tensions with North Korea, but Pyongyang has kept up a hostile stance towards its neighbour.
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