South Korean Lee Hyung-il (65), who lost his leg after stepping on a landmine while farming at age 24, looks on landmine signs on display during an interview in the border village of Haemaru-chon near the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) in Paju, South Korea, 17 June 2026. Former South Korean soldier Kim Ki-ho has spent more than two decades working alone to remove millions of landmines left along the border since the Korean War (1950–53). Kim said he will continue the high-risk work for the rest of his life to help promote regional peace. Photo by JEON HEON-KYUN / EPA
June 26 (Asia Today) -- South Korean defense experts, mine-clearance researchers and technology companies called for broader government, military and civilian cooperation to remove land mines and unexploded ordnance near the Demilitarized Zone, saying the weapons continue to threaten residents more than seven decades after the Korean War.
The Defense and Security Forum held its fourth roundtable Thursday at the Korea Mine Clearance Research Institute's DMZ Peace Center in Haemaru Village in Paju, a restricted border area north of the Civilian Control Line.
The event, titled "Korean War DMZ Field Forum: Peace Grows When the Land Heals," coincided with the 76th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War and South Korea's month of remembrance for veterans.
