South Korea proposes talks with North Korea on military demarcation line

South Korea has proposed talks with North Korea to avoid border clashes, the first such offer in seven years as Seoul seeks to ease military tensions with its nuclear-armed neighbour.

Citing recent incursions by North Korean troops, Kim Hong-cheol, deputy minister for national defence policy, told a news briefing on Monday that military-to-military channels can help avert an escalation.

“To prevent accidental clashes and ease military tensions, our military officially proposes that the two sides hold inter-Korean military talks to discuss the establishment of a clear reference line for the MDL,” he said, referring to the military demarcation line on their border.

Seoul and Pyongyang technically remain at war because the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement, which halted the conflict between them, was never followed by a peace treaty.

The MDL lies inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), a buffer zone that runs for 250km (160 miles) across the Korean Peninsula with a width of 4km (2.5 miles).

An estimated 2 million mines are peppered inside and along the border, which is also guarded by combat troops, barbed-wire fences and tank traps

Warning shots fired

Kim said North Korean soldiers have repeatedly crossed the demarcation line “while installing tactical roads, fences and laying mines”.

South Korean soldiers have fired warning shots and issued broadcasts to encourage the North Koreans to retreat, he said.

The proposed military talks follow South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s offer of broader discussions with the North without conditions, a sharp reversal from the hawkish stance taken by his conservative predecessor.

Lee has taken several steps to ease tensions since taking office in June, including removing propaganda loudspeakers along the border and banning the dropping of anti-Pyongyang leaflets.

North Korea has yet to respond to Lee’s overtures, and if it accepts the latest proposal, it would mark the first military talks between the two sides since 2018.

Lee’s attempts to advance dialogue with Pyongyang have replaced former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s hardline approach to the North.

Yoon’s hawkish policies were halted when he was impeached and removed from office over his declaration of martial law in December.