North Korea has reopened a hotline to South Korea, almost two years after it was disabled on the orders of leader Kim Jong-un. South Korea confirmed it had received a call from the North on Wednesday. North said they were open to dialogue with Seoul and will send team to Olympics in South next month.
The two nations have not held high-level talks since December 2015. North Korea cut off the communications channel shortly afterwards, refusing to answer calls, according to officials in the South. A North Korean official announced the hotline’s reopening in a televised statement.
Instead of a senior newscaster, chairman of Committee for Peaceful Reunification of Fatherland, Ri Son-gwon, made the statement, saying he was speaking “upon authorisation of Kim Jong-un”. The initial call was brief as checks are still being carried out on the line, according to South Korean officials.