South Korea will ease rules on the civilian off-limit zone near the heavily fortified border with North Korea to allow passers-by to stay in the restricted area for a longer period, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday.

The sparsely populated zone with about 2,300 residents is located near the southern boundary of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, which was established to serve as a buffer since the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

The JCS said it will implement the new rule on Wednesday that would simplify the entry process and allow visitors to stay up to 15 day to visit their relatives living there, an extension of the current seven days.

The military will also issue regular passes for officials with special duties, such as disaster relief, criminal investigation and electrical repair in the area, to help them promptly accomplish their missions in emergency situations.

“The new rule is aimed at improving convenience of residents and officials who visit the area for special purposes,” defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said at a briefing.

The JCS said the simplified process is expected to affect about 26,000 farmers and officials who regularly cross the off-limit line as well as tourists from home and abroad.

Last year, about 3.6 million tourists visited the area to get a glimpse of the last remaining Cold War frontier and untouched natural surroundings, according to the military. (Yonhap News)