South Korea's Peaceful Path: Why Gradual Approach to North Korea Policy Matters

Chung made the remarks during his meeting with Kim Jong-hyuk, president of the United Christian Churches of Korea, an association of Protestant churches in South Korea.

"We could not imagine (taking) shocking or radical methods (in terms of North Korea policy)," Chung said, addressing concerns raised by the Protestant church circle that the administration of liberal President Lee Jae Myung may be too tolerant toward North Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"Even a good idea cannot be realised if there is no public support," the minister said. "A radical policy cannot help but invite public animosity."

Chung stressed the government has inherited three principles of North Korea policy -- peaceful, phased and gradual approaches -- from previous liberal governments.

Lee has vowed to resume dialogue and reconciliation with North Korea since taking office in June.

Last week, the defence ministry proposed holding military talks with the North to discuss clarifying the Military Demarcation Line in a bid to prevent possible accidental clashes at the border areas. But Pyongyang has remained silent toward the proposal.

On November 20, the ruling Democratic Party (DP) urged North Korea to accept South Korea's proposal for military talks aimed at clarifying the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) to prevent possible clashes near the inter-Korean border.

The proposal came as North Korean soldiers -- including those who were armed -- have repeatedly, albeit temporarily, crossed the MDL while working near the border, such as clearing land or laying mines in the buffer zone.

"North Korea should immediately respond to our calls," Rep. Kim Byung-kee, the DP's floor leader, said during a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly.

"As South Korea's first official proposal for talks with the North since President Lee Jae Myung took office, it will mark an important opportunity to resume inter-Korean dialogue."

He stressed that the proposed meeting is intended to prevent accidental clashes along the MDL and ease military tensions.

"North Korea strongly criticised the outcome of the South Korea-US summit through its state-run Korean Central News Agency recently, but I will not respond to each of its claims," he said.

"If the North has something to say, it can fully do so when inter-Korean talks are held."

Since April last year, Pyongyang has deployed troops near the MDL within the Demilitarised Zone to plant mines, erect anti-tank barriers, and reinforce barbed wire fences after the country's leader Kim Jong-un described inter-Korean ties as those between "two states hostile to each other" in late 2023.

North Korean troops are known to have intruded over the border about 10 times this year alone, including in October when two North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the border in an attempt to chase another North Korean soldier defecting to the South.

In response, the South Korean military has broadcast a warning message when North Korean troops moved close to the MDL and subsequently fired warning shots when they violated the boundary, Yonhap news agency reported.

If held, it will mark the first inter-Korean military talks since the two Koreas held general-level military talks in 2018. They have held two ministerial-level talks and 40 working-level talks since 2000.

int/akl/sd

- IANS