North Korea incursions have grown but Seoul ready to move past tensions

SEOUL, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- North Korea's border incursions have grown exponentially in the last two years but Seoul is working to reduce tensions by extending economic incentives to Pyongyang.

South Korea's Defense Ministry released a report on Thursday showing an escalation of North Korea provocations across land and maritime borders, Yonhap reported.

Between 2010 and 2015, North Korea crossed into the South's zone 13 times by land, 47 times by sea and six times by air.

The most significant change was at the Military Demarcation Line bisecting the Korean demilitarized zone. Between June 2014 and the present, North Korean troops crossed below the MDL a total of eight times, but between 2010 and 2013, no violations occurred, according to Seoul.

North Korea also has stepped up infiltration of the disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea. North Korean ships crossed into the South side twice in 2010, five times in 2011, twice in 2012, nine times in 2013 and a record 13 times in 2014. In 2015, North Korea ships had crossed the line 10 times, according to military data. Seoul said the South sometimes fired at trespassing boats, including six times in 2014 and twice in 2015.

Following the easing of tensions on the Korean peninsula after Aug. 25, however, Seoul is pushing to mend ties with Pyongyang.

South Korean President Geun-hye said she would work with the international community to develop a "Northeast Asia Development Bank" to encourage economic reform in North Korea.

Pyongyang would in turn be asked to give up its nuclear weapons, South Korean television network KBS reported.

Park has requested the assistance of the recently established Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and in a meeting with Jin Liqun, president-designate of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in Seoul Thursday, Park said the AIIB and the future bank would work together in the three northeast provinces of China and in North Korea.