North and South Korea are in a “very dangerous situation” where an accidental clash is possible any time and it is crucial for Seoul to engage Pyongyang in dialogue, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday.
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Lee, who has taken several steps to ease tensions since taking office in June, has offered discussions with the North without preconditions, in contrast to his hawkish conservative predecessor.
Pyongyang has yet to respond to Lee’s overtures.
“Inter-Korean relations have, regrettably, turned very hostile and confrontational,” Lee told reporters on a flight from South Africa, where he attended the G20 summit, to Turkey.
“There is not even the most basic level of trust, and North Korea is making extremely extreme statements and taking extremely extreme actions,” he said, giving examples of recent cases of North Korea installing triple layers of barbed wire fences on the border.
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“We have now reached a situation where we do not know when an accidental clash may occur,” said Lee.
“All lines of connection have been cut. They are refusing all dialogue and contact. It is a very dangerous state,” he added.