120 service members complete Army's new mine-removal training program

SEOUL, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- The Army said Friday that more than 100 troops have completed its recently launched mine-removal training program and will be deployed next month.

The trainees -- 110 Army personnel, six airmen and four Marines -- completed the armed service's first specialized education curriculum that meets the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS).

The two-week program was launched last month to train troops on explosive ordnance disposal, first aid and mine clearance.

Previously, the military's mine removal education on troops at engineering units fell short of meeting the international standards on some criteria in the field of explosive ordnance disposal, it said.

The Army said it plans to nurture 500 mine-removal experts through the education this year.

"We will open an intensive education course by next year and continue exchanges with international institutions specialized in mine removal to establish cooperative relations," it said in a release.

scaaet@yna.co.kr
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