South Korea, US held talks on revising management of fortified North Korea border

The issue was discussed at a bilateral integrated defence consultative body, a ministry spokesperson said, adding there ​had been "progress". She denied reports that it could result in ​joint or divided control of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

"It is ⁠not joint management. Nor is it divided management," the ​spokesperson told a briefing. "It (is) making DMZ management in some sections more ​realistic."

The DMZ marks a buffer zone along the line where the 1950-53 Korean War - when China and North Korea battled U.N. forces led by ​the United States - ended with an armistice, not a ​treaty.

The United Nations Command oversees the DMZ under the armistice agreement, and the ‌defence ⁠ministry spokesperson said Seoul respected its authority while consulting with Washington on technical arrangements for some areas.

The comments come as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has said his country ​would seek to ​reclaim wartime ⁠operational control from the U.S. during his term, which runs through to 2030.

The U.S. currently would ​command allied troops in the event of ​war on ⁠the Korean peninsula, but successive South Korean governments have sought to regain wartime operational control.

South Korea's Unification Ministry has also recently ⁠shifted ​language on North Korea. Its 2026 ​white paper said South and North Korea effectively exist as two states, while ​Seoul still seeks eventual unification.