'Peace hospital' should be built in Korean DMZ, South's doctors say

Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Calls are growing in South Korea for an inter-Korea hotline to control the spread of infectious diseases. A "peace hospital" should also be built at the Korean demilitarized zone, medical experts say.

Kim Young-hoon, executive vice president for medical affairs at Korea University in Seoul, said Thursday at a seminar the coronavirus pandemic requires "unconditional" inter-Korea cooperation, Yonhap reported.

Kim said priority should go to the creation of a hotline for infectious diseases between North and South. The two Koreas already run telephone lines through the truce village of Panmunjom.

The South Korean analyst also said a joint Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be built.

"A peace hospital in the area of the DMZ, Kaesong [in the North] and Paju [in the South] should be established," Kim said. "The exterior of the buildings could be built to [resemble] the Pyongyang General Hospital."

Construction of the Pyongyang hospital began in the spring under Kim Jong Un's orders. It exterior was finished this week, according to North Korean state media.

South Korea's administration could be in favor of the project, despite lack of progress in talks.

Seoul's unification chief Lee In-young said Thursday in video remarks at the Korea University seminar North-South health cooperation could provide a "solid foundation for peace on the Korean Peninsula."

The DMZ remains a dangerous area littered with land mines. Some of the weapons have drifted into farmland in the South following recent floods and typhoons.

JoongAng Ilbo reported this week South Korean farmers in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, have canceled their harvest because of land mines that have washed into their territory.

The floods led to the destruction of more than 5 acres of rice fields in the county. One farmer with the surname Choe told the JoongAng he has lost tens of thousands of dollars worth of crops. Harvesting is not an option because stepping on a land mine could mean death, Choe said.