Key facts
- Guterres remains concerned about potential escalation of tensions across the Demilitarized Zone, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
- Guterres encouraged relevant parties to resume communication channels, including military-to-military communications.
- A September 21 land mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone injured three South Korean soldiers, two seriously.
- A joint South Korean military and U.N. Command investigation concluded North Korea deliberately planted antipersonnel mines south of the Military Demarcation Line.
- North Korea denied responsibility and dismissed Seoul's findings as fabricated, Yonhap reported.
- South Korea asked the U.N. Security Council in a letter dated October 22 for an apology and removal of the mines.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the restoration of communication channels between South and North Korea, United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a regular press briefing on Thursday, November 5. Dujarric said Guterres remains concerned about the situation on the Korean Peninsula, including a potential escalation of tensions across the Demilitarized Zone.
Guterres encourages relevant parties to initiate the resumption of communication channels, including military-to-military communications, "all of this in order to avoid unintended accidents or miscalculations," Dujarric said. The spokesperson also said "diplomatic engagement and renewed dialogue remain the only pathway to reduce tensions and to achieve sustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula."
The remarks followed heightened tensions along the inter-Korean border after a September 21 land mine explosion inside the Demilitarized Zone injured three South Korean soldiers, two of them seriously. A joint investigation by South Korea's military and the U.N. Command concluded the explosion was caused by antipersonnel mines deliberately planted by North Korea south of the Military Demarcation Line, the line that separates the two Koreas' forces inside the zone.
North Korea has denied responsibility for the incident, dismissing Seoul's findings as fabricated. South Korea subsequently raised the matter with the U.N. Security Council in a letter dated October 22, calling on Pyongyang to apologize, remove the mines and take steps to prevent a recurrence.