SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea and South Korea are in a ‘very dangerous situation’ where an accidental confrontation is possible at any time, and it is crucial for Seoul to involve Pyongyang in dialogue, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Monday, according to Yonhap News agency.
North Korea is refusing to heed Seoul’s calls to establish contact and is placing barbed wire fences along the military border, something it has not done since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, according to Lee.
“Inter-Korean ties have become very hostile and confrontational, and in the absence of even a basic level of trust, the North is demonstrating very extreme behavior,” Lee said, according to Yonhap.
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Lee spoke to reporters on a flight from South Africa, where he attended a G20 summit, to Turkey on the last leg of his trip.
South Korea proposed military talks with North Korea on November 17 to discuss setting a clear boundary along the Military Demarcation Line to avoid armed clashes along the border, which could potentially trigger a wider conflict.
North Korea did not respond or react to the proposal.
There have been more than 10 border invasions by North Korean soldiers this year, some of which prompted South Korean troops to fire warning shots in accordance with an established protocol.
Lee said winning peace with North Korea will be a long-term effort, but once a firm peace regime is established, ‘it would be better’ for South Korea and the US to stop joint military exercises.
Pyongyang condemns these allied exercises, calling them dress rehearsals for a nuclear war against it. About 28,500 U.S. troops and weapons systems are stationed in South Korea.
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(Reporting by Jack Kim)
