Republic of Korea proposed Friday military talks with North Korea to "mutually confirm the precise location" of their border and discuss restoring communication channels, after an explosion in the DMZ further strained relations.
Tensions between the two Koreas have soared since the Seoul last month blamed the blast inside the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the countries on landmines laid by the North, an accusation it has fiercely rejected.
The Korean defence ministry "formally proposes holding military talks with North Korea to mutually confirm the precise location of the land Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and discuss ways to restore military communication lines and prevent accidental clashes in border areas," Kim Hong-cheol, deputy defence minister for policy, told reporters Friday.
The proposal comes days after Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea's leader, announced that Pyongyang had moved new troop units into "firing position" along the border.
Seoul's defence ministry said Friday it was difficult to predict "what further incidents could occur if this situation is allowed to continue unaddressed".
The ministry said that "three-way talks involving the United Nations Command would also be possible".
"Specific dates and locations could be discussed through Panmunjom," said Kim, referencing the symbolic truce village where troops from both Koreas stand face-to-face.
He added they hoped for "a positive response from North Korea".
The Korean defence ministry also noted that talks proposed last year with the North did not get a response from Pyongyang.
Seoul's military on Tuesday accused Pyongyang of attempting to shift the blame for escalating military tensions, while confirming the use of loudspeakers and warning shots as "legitimate defensive measures to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the MDL and to drive back troops that have crossed it".
Jin Yong-sung, chairman of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, also ordered the military to "respond with firm resolve" should North Korea use Seoul's actions as a pretext for aggressive action.
Michael Bosack, founding director of the Parley Policy Institute and a former UN Command official, told AFP on Friday that Pyongyang was unlikely to accept the latest overture as it "did not specifically address the North Korean demands related to warning broadcasts and warning shots".
"Given the game of chicken the two sides are playing with their statements and threats, it has the potential to escalate further if gone unchecked," he added, while noting Pyongyang's language was aimed at controlling the "pace and nature of escalation".
"To date, the Kim (Jong Un) regime has signalled its willingness to take steps that draw Seoul's ire without reaching the threshold of direct military action," Bosack said.
Pyongyang has repeatedly rejected claims it was behind the explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers inside the DMZ, while mockingly dismissing calls for an apology.
Seoul and Pyongyang remain technically at war as the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Since 2024, after Kim Jong-un designated Korea his country's "principal enemy", Pyongyang's military has laid mines and built anti-tank barriers along the frontier as part of efforts to permanently seal it off.
North Korea on Monday called the border situation "grave", saying it was considering deploying additional "tactical strike means" to the area.
On Thursday, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong-un, said the North would place loudspeakers on standby along the border "within days" and had put unspecified "new counter means" on alert.
Korea's foreign ministry, meanwhile, said on Thursday it planned to send a letter to the president of the UN Security Council over the landmine incident, which it called a "clear violation of the armistice agreement".
President Lee Jae Myung has previously called for the North to return to dialogue, a suggestion Kim Yo Jong slammed as "the climax of the farce".
