Asia

South, North Korea have restored once-severed hotline: Blue House

FILE PHOTO: South Korean soldiers stand guard at the truce village of Panmunjom
South Korean soldiers stand guard at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, South Korea, May 1, 2019. (File photo: REUTERS/Kim Hong-ji)
(Updated: )

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SEOUL: South and North Korea have restored their once-severed hotline and the two countries' leaders have agreed to rebuild trust and improve ties, Seoul's presidential Blue House said on Tuesday (Jul 27).

North Korea's state media outlet, KCNA, also said all inter-Korean communication channels were reopened at 10am on Tuesday (9am, Singapore time) in line with an agreement between the leaders.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged multiple letters since April and agreed to reconnect the hotline, the Blue House said.

READ: Biden has 'no illusions' on difficulty of North Korea denuclearisation

North Korea cut the hotline in June 2020 as cross-border ties soured after a failed second summit in February 2019 between Kim and former US President Donald Trump, which Moon had offered to mediate.

Moon has called for a recovery of the hotline and talks, pinning high hopes on US President Joe Biden to restart negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

Source: Reuters/dv