South Korea: Seoul proposes military talks with N. Korea

South Korea has offered to hold military talks with North Korea amidst growing tensions between Pyongyang, Seoul, and their Western allies, with South Korean Vice Defence Minister Suh Choo-suk announcing the proposal from the Republic's capital, Monday.
Speaking from the Defence Ministry in Seoul, Suh Choo-suk stated that the South Korean government has proposed to hold talks between North and South Korean representatives at the border village of Panmunjom, a site previously used for similar inter-Korea talks. He was hoping for a positive answer from their northern partners.
The meeting is pitted to take place on July 21. Further talks between representatives from both countries' respective Red Cross organisations have been proposed for August 1, with the reunification of families separated by the Korean Demilitarized Zone to top the agenda.
The offer from Seoul comes after South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office earlier in the year amidst the ongoing escalation of tensions between the two countries over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.
Earlier in the year, the US deployed a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) defense system to South Korea, with Pyongyang successfully launching a intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) for the first time on July 4, 2017.