Seoul proposes talks with N. Korea to keep border open

SEOUL, Nov. 13 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Thursday urged North Korea to engage in
dialogue, one day after the communist state said it will shut down all overland
passages across the inter-Korean border.


Seoul's call for talks came in a one-page reply to the North's message by the
Defense Ministry, in which Seoul expressed deep regret over Pyongyang's threat to
close the border from the beginning of next month.
"We proposed the sides hold a meeting to discuss our provision of communications
material and equipment to modernize the North's military communication lines,"
the ministry said of the message sent to the communist nation on Thursday.
"We urged the North Korean side to work for co-prosperity, co-existence and
improved South-North relations through dialogue and cooperation," it added.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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