Seoul (EFE).– North and South Korea are in a “very dangerous” situation that could lead to an accidental clash “at any time” if both sides do not engage in dialogue, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday, according to the Yonhap news agency.
“Inter-Korean relations have turned extremely hostile and confrontational, and North Korea is engaging in very extreme actions without even the most basic level of trust,” Lee said. “We are in a very dangerous situation where accidental clashes could break out at any time.”
Speaking to reporters during his flight from Johannesburg to Ankara, after participating in the G20 summit, Lee urged Pyongyang to hold a military meeting to prevent accidental border clashes.
The remarks come a week after Seoul proposed negotiations, in its first official request for dialogue since Lee took office in June.
The proposal comes amid heightened tensions in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), where North Korean soldiers have repeatedly crossed the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) while carrying out tasks such as installing fences and laying mines, according to South Korea.
South Korea’s defense ministry said that North Korean military incursions across the MDL have exceeded 10 this year.
The most recent known incident occurred on Oct. 19, when more than 20 North Korean soldiers crossed the MDL near the South Korean city of Paju, in the northwest of the country, prompting the South Korean military to fire warning shots.
South Korea considers it necessary to agree on a clear baseline, given that many of the original DML markers, installed in 1953, have disappeared over time, leading to discrepancies regarding the precise demarcation in some areas, a defense ministry official told the media.
The last inter-Korean talks at the general level were held in 2018.
Despite US President Donald Trump’s visit to South Korea last month, Pyongyang avoided holding a summit with the US, while insisting it will not engage in dialogue if denuclearization remains on the negotiating table. EFE
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