Wire reporting: (AP, via The Philadelphia Inquirer), (AFP, via CNA)

South Korea's defense ministry on Friday proposed military talks with North Korea to confirm the land Military Demarcation Line and reduce the risk of accidental clashes, Yonhap and Channel NewsAsia reported from Seoul^2,6. The Korea Herald carried the Yonhap dispatch⁹. Deutsche Welle and Al Jazeera reported the same offer^7,8,10. AFP, carried by Arab News, and the Associated Press, carried by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Japan Today, also reported the proposal^1,3,5. Reuters published a matching headline; the full page could not be read⁴.

Deputy Defense Minister Kim Hong-cheol said different perceptions remain over the MDL and officially proposed talks to jointly verify land-based MDL locations, restore military communication lines and discuss measures to prevent accidental clashes, Yonhap reported⁶. He said a trilateral meeting including the U.N. Command was also possible if necessary, according to Yonhap⁶. DW and AFP likewise said three-way talks involving the United Nations Command would be possible^3,7. Yonhap said Seoul informed the UNC of the plan before Friday's announcement⁶.

Yonhap dated the DMZ mine blast to Sept. 21 and said three South Korean troops were injured; Seoul blamed the North, which denied responsibility⁶. AP, via The Philadelphia Inquirer and Japan Today, likewise reported three injured on Sept. 21^1,5. CNA said Seoul concluded mines that seriously injured two soldiers in September had been buried south of the MDL, a finding Pyongyang rejected². DW also said three soldiers were injured and that Pyongyang rejected Seoul's finding that mines were south of the line⁷. Japan Today's AP copy said Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul stated the blast location was not in a disputed area⁵.

Yonhap said most of 1,292 original MDL marker posts have been lost, leaving about 200 identifiable, and that Seoul, the UNC and North Korea use different MDL coordinates⁶. It said South Korean lawmakers cited a military estimate that the North has planted 960,000 land mines along the MDL since 2024⁶. CNA said North Korean troops have been building roads and fences and laying mines near the line and that Kim said those troops had crossed it². AP said South Korea's military reported 50 MDL crossings this year during fortification work^1,5.

Yonhap said the UNC, in a statement after the announcement, restated a commitment to reducing the risk of miscalculation along the MDL and declined to confirm whether it had contacted Pyongyang about the offer⁶. CNA, AP and DW said a similar proposal last November drew no response from Pyongyang^1,2,5,7. Al Jazeera said a proposal last year likewise received no response¹⁰. DW said Kim Yo Jong recently said Pyongyang had moved new troops into firing position and later that loudspeakers would be placed on standby along the border⁷. Al Jazeera dated the firing-position announcement to Wednesday¹⁰. AFP reported the firing-position remark³. AP said she visited front-line areas and that Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon denied soldiers were breaching the line^1,5. Al Jazeera said President Lee Jae Myung called for the North to return to dialogue and that Kim Yo Jong rejected bilateral talks¹⁰. DW said Joint Chiefs Chairman Jin Yong-sung ordered a firm response if the North used Seoul's actions as a pretext⁷. Al Jazeera said the defense ministry warned it was difficult to predict further incidents if the situation continued unaddressed¹⁰. Whether North Korea will accept talks is unknown^2,6,7,10.