(LEAD) S. Korea proposes military talks with N. Korea to resolve border lines

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By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea renewed its offer Friday to hold military talks with North Korea to discuss their conflicting views on where the inter-Korean border sits, seeking to deescalate tensions sparked by last month's land mine blast inside the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

Seoul and Pyongyang have traded sharp rhetoric since South Korea blamed the North for the Sept. 21 mine blast inside the DMZ that injured three South Korean troops. Pyongyang has denied responsibility and vowed to take military actions along the border, if needed.

"Different perceptions remain over the Military Demarcation Line (MDL)," Deputy Defense Minister Kim Hong-cheol said in a press briefing, referring to the border line separating the two Koreas.

"South Korea's Defense Ministry hereby officially proposes holding inter-Korean military talks with North Korean authorities to jointly verify the locations of the land-based MDL, restore military communication lines and discuss measures to prevent accidental clashes along the border," he said.

Kim said trilateral dialogue involving the U.N. Command (UNC), which administers and enforces the Armistice Agreement governing the border area, can also be considered.

"If necessary, a trilateral meeting including the UNC is also possible," he said. "We expect a positive response from the North's side."

The latest escalation of tensions comes amid Seoul's suspicions that North Korean forces have repeatedly crossed the MDL to carry out border fortification work, such as erecting fences and laying mines, in potential violation of the armistice that halted the 1950-53 Korean War.

The mine blast occurred while on a mission to clear a path for a joint investigation with the UNC into the North's border-hardening activities.

Kim voiced concern over possible clashes in the future if both sides continue to let their soldiers serve in the border area based on conflicting interpretations of the boundary lines, calling for "extraordinary measures" to resolve the issue.

"The damage will not be limited to any single side," he said.

Kim said that the recent increase in the North's border activities, and the warning broadcasts and warning shots from the South's side are directly linked to the current circumstances.

Seoul made a similar proposal for dialogue between senior military officials last year to discuss the border demarcation, but Pyongyang has not responded to the proposal.

Seoul informed the UNC of its plan to offer the military talks ahead of Friday's announcement, a defense ministry official told reporters.

"We did that prior (to the announcement), in accordance with protocol," he said, without elaborating further.

In a statement issued shortly after the announcement, the UNC reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the Armistice Agreement, and "reducing the risk of miscalculation and unintended escalation" along the MDL.

The UNC, however, declined to confirm whether it has reached the North Korean side about the South's dialogue offer, saying it does not publicly disclose its communication with Pyongyang.

The UNC maintains a hotline, known as the "pink phone," with the North's Korean People's Army, currently the only remaining communication channel between the two Koreas after Pyongyang severed all ties with Seoul.

elly@yna.co.kr
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