South Korea proposes military talks with North Korea on July 21

[SEOUL] South Korea proposed military talks with North Korea, the first since 21015, and a halt to hostile activities near the inter-Korean border, the South's vice-defence minister said on Monday, after a series of missile tests by the North in recent weeks.

"We request military talks with the North on July 21 at Tongilgak to stop all hostile activities that raise military tension at the military demarcation line," Vice-Defence Minister Suh Choo Suk told a media briefing.

Mr Tongilgak is a North Korean building at Panmunjom used for previous talks. The last government-level talks were held in December 2015.

The proposal came roughly a week after President Moon Jae In said the need for dialogue with North Korea was more pressing than ever to curb Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.

REUTERS