Seoul: The ruling Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday urged North Korea to accept South Korea's proposal for military talks aimed at clarifying the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) to prevent possible clashes near the inter-Korean border. The proposal came as North Korean soldiers -- including those who were armed -- have repeatedly, albeit temporarily, crossed the MDL while working near the border, such as clearing land or laying mines in the buffer zone.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Rep. Kim Byung-kee, the DP's floor leader, emphasized during a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly that North Korea should immediately respond to South Korea's calls. He stated that as South Korea's first official proposal for talks with the North since President Lee Jae Myung took office, it will mark an important opportunity to resume inter-Korean dialogue. He stressed that the proposed meeting is intended to prevent accidental clashes along the MDL and ease military tensions.

North Korea recently criticized the outcome of the South Korea-U.S. summit through its state-run Korean Central News Agency. However, Rep. Kim said he would not respond to each of its claims, asserting that if North Korea has something to say, it can do so when inter-Korean talks are held.

Since April last year, Pyongyang has deployed troops near the MDL within the Demilitarized Zone to plant mines, erect anti-tank barriers, and reinforce barbed wire fences. This move followed the country's leader Kim Jong-un's description of inter-Korean ties as those between "two states hostile to each other" in late 2023. North Korean troops have crossed the border about 10 times this year, including an incident in October when two North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the border while chasing a defecting soldier.

In response, the South Korean military has broadcast warning messages when North Korean troops moved close to the MDL and fired warning shots when they violated the boundary. If the proposed talks are held, it will mark the first inter-Korean military talks since the two Koreas held general-level military talks in 2018. Since 2000, they have held two ministerial-level talks and 40 working-level talks.