South Korea Urges Its Northern Neighbor to Resume Dialogue

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South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol called on North Korea to return to dialogue on Thursday, a day after an explosion occurred in the demilitarized zone that resulted in three South Korean soldiers being seriously injured.

Seoul and Pyongyang are technically still at war as the Korean War (1950-1953) ended with an armistice agreement, not a peace treaty.

On Wednesday, South Korea held its northern neighbor responsible for the explosion that occurred on September 21 in the demilitarized zone, which led to three South Korean soldiers being seriously injured, demanding an apology from Pyongyang.

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, responded by saying that the accusation against her country regarding the responsibility for the explosions "descends to a low and filthy level befitting the followers of the Republic of Korea."

But on Thursday, he called on Pyongyang to resume dialogue.

In a speech delivered on the occasion of Armed Forces Day in the country, he said, "I hope that North Korea will now join us on the path to restoring trust and resuming dialogue, after a long interruption."

The South Korean military considered on Wednesday that the incident "represents a clear violation of the armistice agreement and undermines the spirit of the existing agreements between the two Koreas."

Lee's government has sought to reopen dialogue with North Korea, but Pyongyang has largely rejected Seoul's initiatives and continued to advance its border fortification activities along the demilitarized zone.