South Korea proposes talks with North Korea on land border again


Kim Hong-cheol, South Korea's Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy, speaks during a briefing on the situation in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) at the Ministry of National Defense in Seoul, South Korea, October 23, 2026. Yonhap/via REUTERS

SEOUL, Oct 23 (Reuters) - ⁠South Korea'sdefence ministry again proposed on ⁠Friday military talks with North Korea ‌in order to agree on the exact location of the land border between the two Koreas and ​to reduce the risk of ⁠accidental clashes.

The proposal, ⁠announced by Deputy Minister for National Defense Policy ⁠Kim ‌Hong-cheol, follows a landmine explosion in the demilitarised zone (DMZ) last month ⁠that injured South Korean soldiers.

North Korean ​troops have ‌been building tactical roads and fences and ⁠laying mines ​near the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in the DMZ separating the two Koreas in recent ⁠years.

Kim said the North's troops ​had crossed the line in the process.

The ministry proposed talks last November to resolve differences ⁠over where the line lies, but Pyongyang has not responded.

South Korean military had concluded that North Korea had buried the mines ​south of the MDL ⁠that caused the blast that seriously injured ​two South Korean soldiers ‌in September. Pyongyang has rejected ​those findings.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Stephen Coates)

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