SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea has proposed military talks with North Korea to settle border disputes and prevent accidental clashes.

The move comes after landmine explosions near the border injured three South Korean soldiers and as North Korea strengthens its border defenses.

It remains unclear whether North Korea will accept the proposal. Leader Kim Jong Un has adopted a tougher stance toward South Korea and has halted almost all dialogue and cooperation between the two countries in recent years.

North Korea has been adding landmines, barbed-wire fences, military roads, anti-tank walls, and other defenses along the border, which is already one of the most heavily armed in the world.

South Korea's military said North Korean soldiers had crossed the military demarcation line 50 times this year while carrying out fortification work. South Korean troops responded with warning shots and broadcasts.

Seoul made a similar proposal for military talks in November, but North Korea ignored it. The South has become more concerned about reducing tensions following landmine explosions on September 21 that injured three South Korean soldiers. South Korea's military concluded that the blasts were caused by North Korean mines planted south of the military demarcation line.

Kim Hong-Cheol, South Korea's deputy minister for defense policy, announced the latest proposal in a televised statement on October 23.

"Our Ministry of National Defense officially proposes to North Korean authorities that South-North military talks be held to mutually confirm the exact location of the ground military demarcation line between the South and the North, discuss the restoration of military communication lines, and discuss measures to prevent accidental clashes in border areas," he said.

Kim added that South Korea was also willing to hold three-way talks involving the US-led United Nations Command.

The proposal came days after Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of the North Korean leader, visited frontline areas where North Korean troops are strengthening border defenses. During the visit, she renewed threats to retaliate against any South Korean action against the work.

Kim Yo Jong also said North Korea planned to restart loudspeaker broadcasts carrying anti-South Korean propaganda. Both countries have used loudspeakers as a form of psychological warfare for many years.

She added that North Korea had placed unspecified new countermeasures on alert along the border. She accused South Korea of firing warning shots and broadcasting warnings at North Korean troops on the false claim that they had crossed the military demarcation line.

South Korean officials said the recent activities highlighted long-standing disagreements over the border's exact location. The 1953 armistice that ended the Korean War established the military demarcation line. Some boundary markers dating back decades have since disappeared.

However, South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul said the location of last month's landmine explosions was not in a disputed area. North Korea has denied responsibility and rejected South Korea's demands for an apology and the removal of its remaining mines.

Kim Hong-Cheol warned that leaving the border dispute unresolved could increase the risk of accidental clashes because troops on both sides follow their own understanding of where the line lies.

He said the recent increase in North Korean activity along the border, as well as South Korea's warning broadcasts and warning shots, was connected to the dispute.

During the visit on October 21 to the frontline with Kim Yo Jong, North Korean Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon denied that North Korean soldiers had crossed the border while strengthening its defenses. He insisted the North Korean military knew where its border was.

Pak accused South Korea of making deliberate and unreasonable claims to shift blame for rising tensions. He also threatened an overwhelming response to any South Korean provocation.