South Korea Proposes Negotiations with Pyongyang

The South Korean Ministry of Defense states that Seoul has proposed negotiations with its northern neighbor to reduce tensions and create the possibility for separated families from the Korean War to meet. If North Korea agrees, it will be the first such talks in about three years. According to the South Korean Deputy Minister of Defense, Seoul intends to conduct these negotiations with the aim of stopping 'all hostile actions' in the buffer zone between the two countries and has requested North Korea to respond through the military communication line if it agrees. The South Korean Ministry of Defense did not specify what details the potential negotiations would entail or at what level they might take place. The last such talks occurred in 2014. The South Korean state news agency, Yonhap, has suggested that the two sides may discuss halting propaganda activities through loudspeakers installed at the border, and North Korea may also seek to prevent the distribution of leaflets against the Pyongyang regime by southern activists. Previously, Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, expressed hope during the seventh congress of the ruling Workers' Party last spring that military negotiations would take place between the two sides to reduce the likelihood of conflict in the buffer zone. However, since then, North Korea's military activities, including the testing of an 'intercontinental ballistic missile' said to 'reach U.S. soil,' have continued. U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed their concerns over North Korea's military activities, with the U.S. Secretary of Defense labeling North Korea as 'the greatest and most immediate threat to security and peace' during a congressional meeting in June. Meanwhile, the South Korean state news agency reports that the government has separately proposed to resume 'Red Cross' negotiations to facilitate family reunions on both sides of the border. The last time an action was taken in this regard was in 2015, when families separated during the 1950-1953 war managed to meet. The South Korean Red Cross has suggested that these negotiations take place on August 1, two weeks from now. Yonhap reports that in a meeting last month, South Korean President Moon Jae-in secured Washington's support for direct dialogue with Pyongyang. It is said that North Korea is likely to agree to military negotiations, but it is still unclear how the country will respond to the proposal regarding family reunions.