Seoul Proposes Inter-Korean Talks on DMZ Border Line After Mine Blast
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young called for talks with North Korea to verify and resurvey the Military Demarcation Line after a mine explosion injured three South Korean soldiers.
South Korea’s unification minister proposed talks with North Korea on Friday to address uncertainty surrounding the border inside the Demilitarized Zone, following a mine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers and sharply raised tensions between the two sides.
Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said Seoul and Pyongyang should begin communicating, verify the Military Demarcation Line and conduct a new survey of it. He identified the deteriorating visibility of the line as a central issue behind the dispute surrounding the blast.
The proposal followed a Sept. 21 explosion on the South Korean side of the Military Demarcation Line. South Korea’s military attributed the blast to North Korea and said three soldiers were injured, two of them critically. It has demanded an apology and responsible action from Pyongyang. North Korea has denied involvement and accused Seoul of fabricating the findings of its investigation.
Chung returned to South Korea on Thursday after cutting short a trip to Europe to deal with the fallout. Speaking to reporters as he arrived for work, he argued that direct contact was needed to clarify the border and reduce the danger of another incident.
The minister also warned against restarting anti-North Korea loudspeaker broadcasts along the border as a response to the explosion. He described such a step as dangerous and irresponsible, while reiterating that the South Korean government does not intend to treat North Korea with hostility. He said dialogue was necessary to build peaceful coexistence and defended the government’s broader effort to lower tensions.
The condition of the border markers has become a practical security concern. After the 1953 armistice, the United Nations Command and the North Korean military installed 1,292 signs to identify the Military Demarcation Line. Only about 200 are now intact after decades of weather exposure and limited maintenance.
South Korea’s defense ministry has also acknowledged discrepancies between the United Nations Command baseline and the coordinates used by the South Korean military across roughly 60 percent of the border. Chung’s proposal therefore links the immediate dispute over responsibility for the mine blast with a wider effort to clarify the physical boundary and prevent further encounters from escalating.