South and North Korea have restored a communications hotline and exchanged messages in a small reconciliation step, South Korea says. The development comes days after North Korea says it test-fired a newly developed anti-aircraft missile.
Liaison officials from the two Koreas exchanged messages over a cross-border communication channel on Monday morning, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said.
The phone and fax channels — which the rival Koreas use to set up meetings, arrange border crossings and avoid accidental clashes — have been largely dormant for more than a year. Communications were briefly revived for about two weeks this summer, but North Korea later refused to exchange messages again after Seoul staged annual military drills with Washington that it views as an invasion rehearsal.
Seoul’s Unification Ministry said the hotline’s reconnection laid a foundation for the restoration of ties between the two Koreas and stability on the Korean Peninsula. A ministry statement said Seoul hopes the two Koreas will resume talks soon to discuss how to implement previous cooperation agreements and establish a peace on the Korean Peninsula.
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