South Korea seeks talks with North

SOUTH Korea has proposed holding rare military talks with the North amid heightened tensions following Pyongyang’s recent long-range missile test.

If North Korea were to agree, they would be the first highlevel talks since 2015.

They have been proposed in an effort to halt hostile activities near their border.

The offer is the first formal overture by the government of President Moon Jae-in, who came to power in May pledging to engage the North in dialogue. North Korea has not yet responded to his proposal.

The North has conducted two nuclear tests since the start of last year. It conducted the first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile earlier this month, claiming to have mastered the technology to mount a nuclear warhead on the missile. South Korea and the US dispute this.