South Korea has rejected a proposal by North Korea's National Defense Commission to hold inter-Korean military talks as a way to ease tensions.

The response on Friday came hours after the commission urged Seoul in an open letter carried by the North's Korean Central News Agency(KCNA) to quickly respond to its leader Kim Jong-un's offer to hold the talks. The KCNA cited the letter as saying that the defense talks are the most realistic measure for peace and safety of the Korean people.

South Korea's Defense Ministry dismissed the proposal, saying that Pyongyang must first demonstrate substantial changes toward denuclearization in order for any talks to be held.

The ministry said North Korea’s offer cannot be seen as sincere, noting that the proposal came while it claimed to be a nuclear weapons state and rejected nuclear disarmament.

Kim Jong-un remarked on the need to hold cross-border military talks during the ruling Workers' Party congress held early this month, which Seoul dismissed as an "insincere propaganda offensive."