South Korea has proposed military talks with the North this week to try to win its consent for test runs of trains across their heavily armed border, the South's Defense Ministry said Monday. Seoul proposed the discussions for Thursday. The two sides agreed during economic talks earlier this month to conduct the tests on May 17, but that accord lacked the necessary consent from the North's military, the Associated Press reported. Last year, the North called off similar agreed-upon tests at the last minute, saying its military did not agree to them. The trial runs would be the first time trains cross the border in more than half a century. The South proposed on Monday that working-level military officials meet Thursday at the border village of Panmunjom to discuss the issue, the ministry said. It would the two sides' first military contact in nearly a year.
