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

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(ATTN: REWRITES lead; UPDATES story with more details throughout; ADDS byline) 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."

Deputy Defense Minister for Policy Kim Hong-cheol makes a statement regarding the inter-Korean border at the defense ministry in Seoul on Oct. 23, 2026. (Yonhap)

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.

North Korean soldiers work on what appears to be a mission to construct tactical roads and fences near a border area, seen from South Korea's western border island of Ganghwa, in this photo taken Oct. 22, 2026. (Yonhap)

elly@yna.co.kr (END)

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

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

（注意：重写导语；全文更新更多细节；添加署名）金承妍

首尔，10 月 23 日（韩联社）——韩国周五再次提出与朝鲜举行军事会谈，讨论双方在朝韩边界位置上的分歧，以期缓和上个月非军事区（DMZ）内地雷爆炸引发的紧张局势。

自韩国指责朝鲜在9月21日非军事区内制造地雷爆炸事件，导致三名韩国士兵受伤以来，首尔和平壤之间一直存在激烈言辞交锋。平壤否认对此事负责，并誓言如有必要将在边境采取军事行动。

“对于军事分界线（MDL）仍然存在不同的看法，”韩国国防部副部长金洪哲在新闻发布会上表示，他指的是分隔朝韩两国的边界线。

“韩国国防部在此正式提议与朝鲜当局举行韩朝军事会谈，共同核实陆上军事分界线的位置，恢复军事通信线路，并讨论防止边境地区发生意外冲突的措施，”他说。

金表示，也可以考虑让负责管理和执行边境地区停战协定的联合国军司令部参与三方对话。

他说：“如有必要，也可以举行包括北卡罗来纳大学在内的三方会谈。我们期待北方方面做出积极回应。”

2026年10月23日，韩国国防部政策副部长金洪哲在首尔国防部就朝韩边境问题发表声明。（韩联社）

最新一轮紧张局势升级，源于首尔方面怀疑朝鲜军队多次越过军事分界线进行边境防御工事建设，例如架设围栏和埋设地雷，这可能违反了结束 1950-53 年朝鲜战争的停战协定。

这次地雷爆炸发生在执行一项任务期间，该任务旨在为与北卡罗来纳大学联合调查北方边境强化活动开辟道路。

金正恩对双方继续基于对边界线的不同解释而让士兵在边境地区服役表示担忧，认为这可能会导致未来发生冲突，并呼吁采取“非常措施”解决这一问题。

他说：“损失不会局限于任何一方。”

金正恩表示，近期朝鲜边境活动的增加，以及韩国方面发出的警告广播和鸣枪示警，都与当前形势直接相关。

去年首尔曾提出过类似的建议，即让高级军事官员进行对话，讨论边界划分问题，但平壤方面尚未对此建议作出回应。

国防部一名官员告诉记者，首尔方面已将提出举行军事会谈的计划告知联合国军，该计划在周五的正式宣布之前就已提出。

“我们（在宣布之前）按照规定做了这件事，”他说道，但没有进一步详细说明。

在公告发布后不久发表的一份声明中，联合国大会重申了其维护停战协定的承诺，并表示将“降低多区划线沿线误判和意外升级的风险”。

然而，联合国大会拒绝证实是否已就韩国提出的对话提议与朝鲜方面取得联系，称其不会公开披露与平壤的沟通情况。

联合国大会与朝鲜人民军保持着一条被称为“粉红电话”的热线，这是平壤切断与首尔所有联系后，目前朝韩之间仅存的沟通渠道。

这张照片拍摄于2026年10月22日，从韩国西部边境岛屿江华岛拍摄到，朝鲜士兵似乎正在边境附近修建战术道路和围栏。（韩联社）

elly@yna.co.kr（完）

国会议员称，自2024年以来，朝鲜可能在朝韩边境埋设了96万枚地雷。

韩国致函联合国安理会，敦促朝鲜对非军事区地雷爆炸事件承担责任。

（第二条）朝鲜领导人妹妹警告将采取边境反制措施，扩音器将在数日内准备就绪

（第二条）朝鲜领导人妹妹称，朝鲜将恢复向韩国进行宣传广播。

（第二份声明）韩国警告称，朝鲜威胁向边境部署打击力量，韩国将采取“果断报复”。

（导语）韩国提议与朝鲜举行军事会谈，以解决边界位置问题