Seoul, Nov 26 (NationPress) South Korea's Unification Minister Chung Dong-young stated on Wednesday that the government aims to pursue a policy towards North Korea that is both peaceful and gradual, addressing fears of any sudden shifts in strategy regarding Pyongyang.

Chung expressed these views during a meeting with Kim Jong-hyuk, the president of the United Christian Churches of Korea, which represents Protestant churches in South Korea.

"We cannot envision adopting shocking or extreme measures in our approach to North Korea policy," Chung commented, responding to worries voiced by the Protestant community that the liberal administration under President Lee Jae Myung might exhibit excessive leniency towards North Korea, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

"Even a positive initiative cannot succeed without public backing," he added. "An extreme policy is likely to provoke public resentment."

Chung emphasized that the government has retained three guiding principles for North Korea policy: a peaceful, gradual, and phased approach, inherited from previous liberal administrations.

Since his inauguration in June, President Lee has committed to re-engaging in dialogue and fostering reconciliation with North Korea.

Last week, the defense ministry proposed initiating military discussions with the North to clarify the Military Demarcation Line as part of efforts to avert potential clashes along the border. However, Pyongyang has yet to respond to this proposal.

On November 20, the ruling Democratic Party urged North Korea to accept South Korea's proposal for military talks aimed at clarifying the Military Demarcation Line to mitigate the risk of confrontations near the inter-Korean boundary.

This proposal comes in light of multiple instances where North Korean soldiers, including armed personnel, have temporarily crossed the Military Demarcation Line while undertaking tasks such as land clearing or mine laying within the buffer zone.

"North Korea should promptly respond to our proposals," said Rep. Kim Byung-kee, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, during a policy coordination session at the National Assembly.

"As the first official invitation for talks with North Korea since President Lee Jae Myung's assumption of office, this represents a pivotal moment for re-establishing inter-Korean discussions."

He underscored that the proposed meeting aims to prevent inadvertent clashes along the Military Demarcation Line and to alleviate military tensions.

"Recently, North Korea harshly criticized the outcomes of the South Korea-US summit through its state-run Korean Central News Agency, but I will refrain from responding to each of its assertions," he stated.

"If North Korea has anything to convey, it can do so in the context of inter-Korean discussions."

Since April of last year, Pyongyang has stationed troops near the Military Demarcation Line within the Demilitarised Zone for activities such as mine planting, erecting anti-tank barriers, and bolstering barbed wire fencing after Kim Jong-un characterized inter-Korean relations as those between "two states hostile to each other" in late 2023.

Reports indicate that North Korean forces have crossed the border approximately ten times this year, including an incident in October when two North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the line while pursuing another soldier defecting to the South.

In response, the South Korean military has issued warning broadcasts when North Korean troops approached the Military Demarcation Line and subsequently fired warning shots upon violations of the boundary, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

If realized, these talks would mark the first military discussions between the two Koreas since they held general-level military talks in 2018. Since 2000, two ministerial-level meetings and 40 working-level discussions have taken place.