South Korea Proposes Military Talks With North Korea Amid Border Tensions

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea on Friday proposed military talks with North Korea to resolve disagreements about their border and prevent accidental clashes in frontline areas. The proposal comes after recent landmine blasts injured three South Korean soldiers.

South Korea's deputy minister for defense policy, Kim Hong-Cheol, stated in a televised address that the aim of the talks would be to "mutually confirm the exact location of the ground military demarcation line between the South and the North, discuss the restoration of military communication lines, and discuss measures to prevent accidental clashes in border areas." He added that South Korea was also open to three-way talks involving the U.S.-led United Nations Command.

North Korea, led by Kim Jong Un, has largely suspended dialogue and cooperation with the South in recent years and has taken a hard line toward Seoul. The North has been strengthening fortifications along the border, one of the world's most heavily armed. South Korea's military has reported North Korean soldiers crossing the military demarcation line multiple times this year during fortification work, prompting warning shots and broadcasts from the South.

This is not the first time South Korea has sought such talks. A similar proposal in November was ignored by North Korea. The urgency for dialogue has increased for Seoul following the Sept. 21 mine blasts, which the South's military concluded were caused by North Korean mines planted south of the military demarcation line.

Seoul officials have pointed to the recent border activities as highlighting the ongoing disagreement over the exact location of the military demarcation line, which was established under the 1953 armistice ending the Korean War. Some decades-old boundary markers have been lost over time. However, South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul has stated that the location of the recent mine blasts was not in a disputed area.

North Korea has denied responsibility for the mine incidents and has dismissed Seoul's demands for an apology and the removal of its mines. Kim Yo Jong, Kim Jong Un's sister, recently visited front-line areas and renewed threats of retaliation against any South Korean provocations related to the fortification work. She also indicated plans to reactivate border loudspeakers for anti-Seoul propaganda and place "new counter means" on alert, blaming South Korea for firing warning shots and broadcasting warnings under what she called a false pretext.

North Korean Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon, who accompanied Kim Yo Jong, denied that North Korean soldiers were breaching the border during fortification work, asserting that the North Korean army knows the border better than anyone else. He accused the South of making "deliberate, premeditated and absurd" claims to shift blame for rising tensions and threatened an "overwhelming response" to South Korean provocations.