Officials from the two Koreas met on Wednesday to discuss ways to cooperate in the forestry sector... where they also agreed on some practical steps to protect their forests.<br />Our Park Hee-jun with more.<br /> South and North Korea have agreed to take joint action to protect their forests against disease and insect pests.<br /> The decision comes after the two sides held working-level talks on Wednesday at the Peace House-- a building on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom.<br />Seoul's Unification Ministry says the two Koreas will work together on disease and insect pest control,... mainly targeting areas near the inter-Korean border.<br />To do so,... they will send teams to the site in mid-July to figure out the exact conditions in the area.<br /><br /> The two sides also agreed to take step-by-step measures in projects that are key to conserving forests-- including modernizing forest nurseries, preventing forest fires, and erosion control.<br />There will also be an active exchange of know-how on forest development and protection.<br /><br /> At present, there's no data available on the condition of North Korea's forests.<br />However, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry,... about a third of the previously-forested area in the North had been destroyed as of 2008.<br />The country is known to be in need of support to fight problems caused by excessive logging and farming.<br /><br />The discussions are the latest in a series of meetings between the two Koreas,... aimed at implementing the April 27 Panmunjom Declaration, which focuses on expanding inter-Korean exchanges in various sectors.<br /> The two governments plan to communicate through the exchange of documents on issues that could come up along the way while carrying out the agreements.<br />Park Hee-jun, Arirang News. <br />
