Story highlights South Korea military suggests talks with counterparts from the North

Proposal comes just weeks after significant development of North's nuclear weapon program

Seoul (CNN) South Korea's new government is making overtures to the North, proposing military talks at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates the two rivals.

In an attempt to defuse rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea's Defense Ministry has proposed talks between representatives of the two countries' militaries on July 21 at Tongil-gak on the North Korean side of Panmunjom, the so-called truce village in the DMZ.

The talks at Panmunjon would be aimed at ending "hostile acts" between the two, which "escalate military tension," according to a statement from South Korean Deputy Defense Minister, Seo Joo-seok.

Seo also said that earlier this month the government had proposed a cessation of "all hostile acts along the Military Demarcation Line," ahead of the 64th anniversary on July 27 of the truce which effectively ended the Korean War in 1953.

North Korea has yet to respond.

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