Unification ministry urges N. Korea to halt armistice violations, respond to dialogue efforts
A loudspeaker in North Korea is seen from a border area in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Yonhap
The unification ministry on Tuesday urged North Korea to refrain from escalating tensions along the inter-Korean border and respond to Seoul's efforts to resolve issues related to the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
The appeal came a day after Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened to deploy more tactical weapons near the southern border and consider resuming loudspeaker broadcasts targeting South Korea in response to the South Korean military's warning shots and broadcasts over North Korean troops' repeated crossings of the MDL.
"To fundamentally resolve tensions and the risk of clashes related to the MDL, the two sides need to reconcile their positions on the MDL and establish a communication system for its peaceful management as soon as possible," the ministry said.
The ministry also called on Pyongyang to respond to efforts "to prevent unnecessary escalation and achieve an effective resolution of the issues," stressing that North Korean acts violating the Armistice Agreement that ended the 1950-53 Korean War must cease immediately.
In a statement carried by the North's state media Monday, Kim claimed that the situation along the inter-Korean border had become "very unstable" and denounced South Korean troops' responses as provocations.
The South Korean military said its warning broadcasts and shots are "legitimate and defensive measures" intended to prevent North Korean troops from crossing the MDL and respond to such crossings, vowing decisive responses to any provocations by the North.
The latest tensions come as North Korea has been stepping up efforts to fortify its border with South Korea in line with leader Kim Jong-un's defining of inter-Korean ties as those between "two states hostile to each other."
Seoul views Pyongyang's actions as an attempt to constrain South Korean troops' operations and accelerate its efforts to establish what it calls a new border line.
Asked how Seoul would respond if North Korea resumes loudspeaker broadcasts, a unification ministry official said the government would "responsibly review necessary measures" in close coordination with relevant agencies, including the defense ministry.