Seoul, Nov 17 () – South Korea announced on Monday that it wants to hold military talks with North Korea to straighten out the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and stop more accidental clashes near the inter‑Korean border.
The call came after North Korean soldiers – some armed – repeatedly crossed the MDL to work near the buffer zone, clearing land or digging mines. The South has fired warning shots and broadcast alarms whenever North troops approach the line.
It is Seoul’s first official proposal for talks since President Lee Jae Myung took office in June. The president has said he wants to repair ties with the North and create space for dialogue.
“Our military officially proposes holding inter‑Korean talks to set up the MDL, prevent accidental clashes, and ease military tension,” said Kim Hong‑cheol, deputy minister for national defence policy, to Yonhap News Agency. “We expect the North to respond quickly and positively, which will help restore trust on the Korean Peninsula,” Kim added.
Since last April, North Korea has stationed troops near the MDL in the Demilitarised Zone, building mines, anti‑tank barriers and barbed‑wire fences after Kim Jong‑un described the two countries as “two states hostile to each other.” North soldiers have intruded over the border about ten times this year, including a brief incursion in October when two troops chased a South‑bound defector.
South Korea said the MDL markers, concrete posts with signs installed in 1953 after the Korean War armistice, have faded over time – only about one‑sixth remain visible. To rebuild trust, the South’s military has also removed border loudspeakers and stopped broadcasting propaganda.
The North has not yet answered Lee’s call for dialogue. In August, it accused Seoul of firing warning shots at North soldiers and called the South’s moves “pre‑meditated and deliberate confrontations” that could spark conflict.
If the talks are held, they will be the first inter‑Korean military meeting since 2018, when the two Koreas last held joint talks. Since 2000, they have had two ministerial‑level talks and 40 working‑level meetings.
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