Government Holds Workshop to Prepare for Resumption of Inter-Korean Military Talks... North Korea Remains Unresponsive

The Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Unification announced on December 26 that they held a capacity-building workshop at the Inter-Korean Dialogue Headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to prepare for future inter-Korean military talks. However, although the Ministry of National Defense proposed inter-Korean military authorities' talks last month to discuss the issue of setting the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) standard, North Korea has not responded at all.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that during the workshop, they reviewed preparations for inter-Korean military talks and discussed ways to collaborate with relevant ministries. In this regard, the ministry plans to form a task force mainly consisting of those with experience in inter-Korean talks and to change the name of the relevant organization from the current "North Korea Strategy Division" to "North Korea Policy Division." The ministry added, "We hope that, with North Korea's cooperation, a forum for dialogue to ease military tensions between the two Koreas will be established as soon as possible."

The Ministry of Unification also released a press statement on the same day, saying, "The workshop was organized to review preparations necessary for the resumption of future inter-Korean military talks and to share matters requiring cooperation among related ministries." The ministry emphasized that the "Inter-Korean Dialogue Headquarters of the Ministry of Unification" is the government’s main department overseeing inter-Korean talks, adding, "We are working to normalize inter-Korean communication channels and create conditions for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue."

A representative from the Ministry of Unification stated, "We plan to strengthen our capacity to respond to talks in each sector through close collaboration with relevant ministries in preparation for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue," and added, "We will continue our efforts to resume inter-Korean dialogue as a first step toward making 2026 the inaugural year of peaceful coexistence on the Korean Peninsula."