South Korea proposed holding inter-Korean military talks Friday, the South’s Ministry of National Defense said on Monday

“In order to suspend hostile activities at the military demarcation line, we propose holding an inter-Korean military talk at Tongilgak,” the North Korean building inside the truce village of Panmunjeom, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry asked North Korea to respond by restoring the two Koreas’ military communication line in the West Sea. The North has yet to issue an official statement. 

The proposal is designed to follow up on President Moon Jae-in’s offer to suspend “all acts of hostile activities” at the cross-border region as of July 27, when the two Koreas mark the 64th anniversary of the armistice treaty that ended the Korean War in 1953, the ministry added. 

Moon’s proposal was laid out during his speech on July 6 in Berlin, where he proposed other engagement overtures toward North Korea, such as holding reunions of families separated by the war on Oct. 4 and the invitation of North Korean delegates to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang. 

The last time the two Koreas held a military consultation was in 2014. The dialogue was suspended by increased cross-border tension following the North’s missile and nuclear activities.

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)