South Korea’s rival parties Tuesday welcomed the two Koreas’ agreement that effectively ended the latest military standoff, urging Seoul to build on the momentum and take concrete steps to ease cross-border tensions. 

The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy hailed the government’s efforts to elicit North Korea’s regret over the land mine explosion that wounded South Korean soldiers this month.

Urging the need to turn the crisis into an opportunity for the two Koreas’ relations, the parties called for the prompt arrangement of separate family reunions and follow-up measures to prevent similar provocations from the North in the future.

“I am really glad that high-level talks ended on a sound note,” said the ruling Saenuri Party’s chairman Rep. Kim Moo-sung. “We owe the success to the people and the military who stood united,” said Kim.

NPAD chairman Rep. Moon Jae-in also offered rare commendation to the government, saying: “I appreciate the government’s efforts to ease cross-border tensions through the high-level talks. Taking this incident as an opportunity, I hope that both sides will take follow-up measures to prevent another such abnormal incident along the Demilitarized Zone.”