The Ministry of Defense said Seoul’s proposal last November for military talks, including discussions on the demarcation line, remains valid. “Military talks between the South and North are necessary to resolve the fundamental issue, as discrepancies over the MDL have become a root cause of various military problems,” a ministry official told reporters.
The remarks came a day after the military released its final investigation findings and used controlled explosions to destroy North Korean mines near the blast site in the western Demilitarized Zone. Seoul described the operation as its first physical removal of a North Korean minefield south of the demarcation line.
The military warned that clearance operations would continue unless North Korea removed the remaining mines itself.
Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul rejected suggestions Tuesday that Seoul’s response had been too passive, describing the clearance operation as a firm response to an unprecedented situation.
“Our fellow service members suffered serious injuries from mines North Korea installed under the pretext of ‘fortifying the border’ while carrying out legitimate operations,” Kang told reporters at the Defense Ministry in Seoul. “All responsibility lies with North Korea.”
Further clearance operations would be conducted following assessments by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United Nations Command, he said.
Kang also called for dialogue to resolve differences between the demarcation line as understood by South Korea, North Korea and the UNC.
“These are matters that need to be checked against one another, which is why I believe North Korea needs to come out, either on the ground or at the negotiating table,” he said.
South Korea and the UNC have been working through a Joint Chiefs of Staff-led task force since earlier this year to reconcile their respective references for the line, according to the defense ministry.
Aligning those references would make talks with Pyongyang more efficient, the ministry said, but would not be a prerequisite for inter-Korean military dialogue. The timing of any fresh initiative would depend on the broader security situation and other factors.
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