SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Friday proposed dialogue with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to resolve lingering discrepancies over the military demarcation line (MDL) following the recent landmine explosion in the demilitarized zone (DMZ).
Describing the DMZ mine blast as an "unfortunate incident," Chung told domestic reporters that the core cause of the accident stemmed from different measurements of the MDL.
The minister stressed that the lines, measured by South Korea, the DPRK and the United Nations Command, are all different, cautioning that similar accidents could happen again at any time unless the issue is addressed.
Chung directly extended a formal dialogue proposal to Pyongyang, saying "it is time to meet and communicate."
The incident occurred on Sept. 21 near the MDL, where three South Korean soldiers from the army's 25th division were injured while conducting a mission inside the southern side of the DMZ dividing the two Koreas. ■