Seoul, South Korea:
South and North Korea have restored their after-severed hotlines as element of efforts by the two countries’ leaders to rebuild strained ties, Seoul’s presidential Blue House stated on Tuesday.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have exchanged various letters because April and agreed to reconnect the hotlines, stated Moon’s press secretary, Park Soo-hyun.
North Korea’s state media outlet, KCNA, also stated all inter-Korean communication channels had been resumed operation at 10 a.m. Tuesday (0100 GMT) in line with an agreement in between Moon and Kim.
“The two leaders have explored ways to recover relations by exchanging letters on several occasions, and agreed to restore severed hotlines as a first step for that process,” Park stated in a statement. “They have also agreed to regain trust as soon as possible and foster progress on relations again.”
KCNA touted the reopening of the hotlines as “a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation.”
North Korea reduce the hotlines in June 2020 as cross-border ties soured soon after a failed second summit in February 2019 in between Kim and former U.S. President Donald Trump, which Moon had presented to mediate.
Moon has named for a revival of the hotline and talks, pinning higher hopes on U.S. President Joe Biden to restart negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.
The announcement came as the two Koreas 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 KCNA.
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