Seoul proposes talks with Pyongyang over disputed MDL, but response unlikely

Seoul proposed military talks with Pyongyang on Friday to clarify the location of the military demarcation line (MDL) — its latest move to draw attention to Pyongyang’s violations of the 1950-53 Korean War Armistice Agreement.

“We formally propose holding talks between the military authorities of South and North Korea to jointly verify the precise location of the land-based MDL, discuss restoring military communication lines and explore ways to prevent accidental clashes in border areas,” South Korean Deputy Defense Minister Kim Hong-cheol said during a press conference on Friday.

He explained that the two countries have different understandings of certain areas of the MDL.

“Without special measures, troops on both sides of the border will continue operating based on where they believe that the line lies, increasing the risk of accidental clashes,” he said.

Kim then warned that “it is difficult to predict what other incidents could occur if this situation is allowed to continue,” referring to the land mine blast in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on Sept. 21.

The explosion injured two South Korean soldiers, and Seoul has concluded the mines were North Korean.

North Korean troops have also been carrying out what Pyongyang describes as efforts to fortify its border. Since April 2024, its troops have been clearing vegetation, building barriers, installing tactical roads and fences and laying land mines along the MDL.

South Korean military authorities believe that many of the 1,292 MDL markers installed shortly after the armistice have been lost, contributing to differing interpretations of the line’s location among the South, North and even the United Nations Command (UNC).

These discrepancies also likely led to repeated incidents of North Korean troops crossing the MDL during construction work, prompting South Korean forces to issue warning broadcasts and fire warning shots.

South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense previously proposed military talks with North Korea in November last year to establish a mutually recognized MDL reference line, but the North did not respond.

This time, Seoul has added discussing restoring military communication lines and preventing accidental clashes to the agenda. It has also left open the possibility of three-way talks involving the UNC.

If North Korea accepts the proposal, the talks would mark the first formal meeting between the two Koreas’ military authorities in about eight years, since the 10th general-level military talks at Panmunjom, the truce village, in October 2018.

However, it is widely expected to reject the proposal.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stressed that “the border should be a permanent line never to be crossed,” in an English statement issued by his sister Kim Yo-jong through the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday.

Pak Jong-chon, an adviser to North Korea’s defense ministry, also signaled Pyongyang’s intention to continue fortifying the border.

“Our army knows where our borderline is better than any others, and we are doing what we should do in our territory,” Pak said in another English-language statement carried by KCNA the same day.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, also expressed skepticism about the prospects for talks.

“North Korea is unlikely to respond, as it views the completion of its border fortification work as the final step in establishing its ‘two hostile states’ framework,” Lim said.

Seoul’s response to Pyongyang’s actions is also expected to draw scrutiny.

South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council on Thursday to report North Korea’s violations of the armistice agreement, and its Defense Ministry proposed talks on Friday. But additional measures in response to the land mine explosion remain limited.

“At present, there are no plans for stronger measures beyond demonstrating new weapons,” a government source who requested anonymity said. “That could change depending on how North Korea escalates its hostility in the future, but resuming loudspeaker broadcasts toward North Korea is not even being considered as an option.”

The approach has also raised questions about how it balances security concerns with public sentiment.

“The [South Korean] government appears to be pursuing a restrained response out of concern that stronger measures could instead reinforce North Korea’s ‘two hostile states’ narrative,” Park In-hwi, the dean of Ewha Womans University’s Graduate School of International Studies, said. “However, it is also true that such an approach is at odds with public sentiment, given that our soldiers were injured.”

BY YOON JI-WON [[email protected]]