SEOUL, Oct 23 — South Korea proposed today military talks with North Korea to “mutually confirm the precise location” of their border and discuss restoring communication channels, after an explosion in the DMZ further strained relations.

Tensions between the two Koreas have soared since the South last month blamed the blast inside the heavily fortified Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the countries on landmines laid by the North, an accusation it has fiercely rejected.

The South Korean defence ministry “formally proposes holding military talks with North Korea to mutually confirm the precise location of the land Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and discuss ways to restore military communication lines and prevent accidental clashes in border areas,” Kim Hong-cheol, deputy defense minister for policy, told reporters Friday.