South Korea Formally Proposes Inter-Korean Military Talks to Confirm Border Line, Restore Hotlines
SEOUL — South Korea's Defense Ministry formally proposed inter-Korean military talks to North Korea on October 23, to mutually confirm the precise location of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), restore military communication lines, and discuss measures to prevent accidental clashes in border areas, Xinhua reported from Seoul.
Kim Hong-cheol, head of the ministry's Defense Policy Office, said in a statement that the two sides still differ in their perceptions of some MDL locations, and that without special measures, soldiers on both sides will continue operating based on their own understanding of the line, increasing the risk of accidental clashes.
The statement added that a three-party meeting including the United Nations Command could be possible if necessary, and that specific dates and venues could be discussed through the Panmunjom channel. Seoul said it looks forward to a positive response from Pyongyang.
The proposal follows a September 21 landmine explosion during a South Korean Army search operation inside the DMZ on the southern side of the MDL, which injured three soldiers, two of them seriously. On October 5, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff announced investigation findings that the blast was caused by a North Korean anti-personnel mine laid south of the MDL, demanding an apology and immediate removal. North Korea's Foreign Ministry denied the claim on October 6. South Korea's envoy to the United Nations wrote to the Security Council presidency on October 22 demanding an apology from Pyongyang.
The ministry also noted it had proposed military talks last November to resolve differing perceptions of the MDL, but North Korea did not respond.
(GSM, based on Xinhua)
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Photo: 朝韩非军事区内展示的韩朝首脑会晤历史照片（资料图）。照片：Nicor，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Framed inter-Korean summit photos on display in the Demilitarized Zone (file photo). Photo: Nicor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
