2 Koreas to open modernized military hot lines next week

SEOUL: The two Koreas plan to open new, updated hot lines between their militaries next week to facilitate border crossings, an official said yesterday.

The announcement reflected cooperation between the sides just a day after the Democratic People's Republic of Korea declared a dispute maritime border a "firing zone" and warned Republic of Korea ships to stay clear. The hot lines serve as a key mode of communication between military officials from the two Koreas, which technically remain at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.

Crossings at the border mostly involve officials and workers from the South crossing to the North to a joint industrial complex.