Lee Jae-woong, the spokesperson for Korea's foreign ministry, speaks during a press briefing in Seoul, Sept. 12. Yonhap

Korea urged Israel and Lebanon on Friday to accept the ceasefire proposal made by the United States and France to stop the escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

"We welcome and fully support the statements made by countries such as the United States and France calling for an immediate 21-day ceasefire along the Israel-Lebanon border," foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said in a commentary.

"We strongly urge the relevant parties to immediately accept this ceasefire proposal and to continue efforts to ease tensions in the region," the commentary said.

The U.S., France and other like-minded countries made the joint call earlier this week as the armed conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is feared to lead to a wider war in the Middle East. (Yonhap)