Seoul:South Korea has proposed military talks with North Korea in an effort to address tensions arising from differing views on the inter-Korean border. This move comes in response to a land mine explosion last month inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), which South Korea attributed to the North, a claim that Pyongyang has denied.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean Defense Ministry, through Deputy Defense Minister Kim Hong-cheol, has officially proposed inter-Korean military talks. These talks aim to jointly verify the location of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL), restore military communication lines, and discuss preventive measures against accidental clashes along the border. Kim also suggested that trilateral dialogue involving the U.N. Command (UNC) might be considered if necessary.

The tensions have escalated as South Korea suspects that North Korean forces have been crossing the MDL to conduct border fortification activities, violating the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War. The mine incident occurred during a mission to prepare for a joint investigation with the UNC into these activities. The UNC has affirmed its commitment to reducing the risk of unintended escalation along the MDL, although it has not confirmed contacting North Korea regarding the talks.

South Korea's military believes North Korea has planted 960,000 land mines along the MDL since 2024, and the South has repeatedly sought dialogue with Pyongyang to reconcile border discrepancies. However, North Korea has not yet responded to these overtures. The UNC maintains a communication link with the North Korean military, known as the "pink phone," which remains the only channel between the two Koreas after all other ties were severed.