SEOUL - The Republic of Korea on Monday called for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to show its stance on denuclearization, in response to the DPRK's dialogue overtures on military matters over the weekend.

Seoul's defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun told a regular press briefing that the ministry sent a reply through a western military hotline at 9:30 am (0030 GMT) to the notice sent on Saturday by the DPRK's Ministry of the People's Armed Forces.

The Seoul ministry said via the reply that the escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula were caused by the DPRK's provocative acts such as nuclear test and missile launches, expressing regrets over the DPRK's military dialogue proposal without any mentioning of its nuclear program, according to the spokesman.

The south side called for the DPRK's showing of its stance on denuclearization before making any dialogue overtures, making it clear that Pyongyang should show its will on denuclearization through actions if the country really wants peace and stability on the peninsula.

Moon said that the ROK's government will hold fast to a basic position that the DPRK's denuclearization measures will be a top priority in any inter-Korean dialogue.