October 1, 2026
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called on North Korea to resume dialogue and restore mutual trust after a long break, despite the escalation of tension and political and military debate between the two countries against the backdrop of an explosion that occurred in the demilitarized zone and resulted in three South Korean soldiers being seriously injured.
President Lee’s call came on Thursday during a speech he gave on the occasion of Armed Forces Day, specifically the day after an official address by Seoul to Pyongyang, in which he held it fully responsible for the incident that occurred on September 21st, and demanded that it make an official apology.
The South Korean army described the explosion as “a clear violation of the armistice agreement and an undermining of the spirit of the existing agreements between the two Koreas.”
On the other hand, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected the accusations against her country, describing them as “low and dirty.”
These developments come at a time when President Lee’s government seeks to reopen channels of communication with its northern neighbor, but Pyongyang continues to reject most of Seoul’s initiatives, in conjunction with the implementation of intensive border fortification work along the demilitarized zone.
It is noteworthy that the two Koreas are still technically in a state of war, as the Korean War that took place between 1950 and 1953 ended with only an armistice agreement without the signing of a peace treaty, which makes the recent controversy over the explosion an additional challenge that hinders efforts to calm the situation and resume bilateral dialogue.
