Hotlines restored in new bid to rebuild ties

SEOUL－The Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea signaled a thaw in relations on Tuesday, announcing the restoration of cross-border communications that were severed more than a year ago and an agreement between their two leaders to improve ties.

According to their joint statement, the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong-un and the ROK's President Moon Jaein have exchanged personal letters several times since April to communicate about issues related to restoring inter-Korean relations.

The two leaders agreed first to restore the severed inter-Korean communication lines, the statement noted. They also agreed to restore mutual trust and enhance ties as early as possible.

The announcement came as the neighbors marked the 68th anniversary of the armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. Kim paid tribute to fallen soldiers and sent gifts to surviving veterans, according to the DPRK's official KCNA news agency.

"The top leaders... agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the cutoff inter-Korean communication liaison lines," the KCNA reported. It said the restoration of the communication liaison lines "will have positive effects on the improvement and development of their relations".

Seoul's presidential Blue House confirmed that the two neighbors resumed their direct communication hotlines at 10 am on Tuesday.

From Tuesday afternoon, the two military authorities planned to restart their regular phone calls twice a day, at 9 am and 4 pm local time, the ROK's Defense Ministry added.

The ministry said the restored hotline would substantially contribute to the defused military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

All inter-Korean communication lines had been severed since June last year when the DPRK cut them off in protest against Seoul's failure to stop civic activists from sending anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets into the DPRK.

Since US President Joe Biden took office in January, Pyongyang and Washington have adopted a wait-and-see attitude to relations following the diplomatic rollercoaster ride under Donald Trump that produced three summits but no concrete agreements on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Kim said in June that Pyongyang needed to prepare for both "dialogue and confrontation" with Washington.

Sung Kim, the top US diplomat in charge of negotiations with Pyongyang, said in June that Washington was ready to meet with Pyongyang "anywhere, anytime, without preconditions".

But a senior DPRK official dismissed the offer.

Analysts said Tuesday's restoration of the inter-Korean hotlines signaled Pyongyang's initial response to Washington's talks offer.

"It looks like he (Kim Jong-un) has decided that restoring inter-Korean relations is beneficial to the DPRK's both domestic and foreign policies and politics," said Yang Moo-jin, a Seoul-based researcher.

Despite the standstill in talks, Moon has relentlessly stressed the importance of restoring inter-Korean relations.

"This should be read as Kim's first response to Seoul and Washington," Yang said.

Xinhua - Agencies

KCNA/XINHUA

A DPRK veteran arrives in Pyongyang on Sunday to mark the 68th anniversary of the end of the Korean War (1950-53).