North Korea axes dialogue with South, accuses Seoul of aiding defectors to insult Kim Jong-un

Name: North Korea cuts off line of communication with ‘enemy’ South Korea
Uploaded: 2020-06-08T22:11:57.000Z
Duration: 2 min 29 s
Description: North Korea cuts off line of communication with ‘enemy’ South Korea

Starting from noon on Tuesday, Pyongyang will end a hotline in the inter-Korean liaison office

The North has been lashing out at South Korea over defectors sending leaflets and other material into the North

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North Korean students take part in a rally denouncing “defectors from the North” in Pyongyang. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters

Park Chan-kyongandReuters

Published: 6:11am, 9 Jun 2020Updated: 11:47pm, 9 Jun 2020

North Korea will today begin suspending all dialogue with the South, state media said, accusing Seoul of driving inter-Korean ties “into a catastrophe” by scheming with defectors to insult its leader Kim Jong-un through anti-Pyongyang leaflets.

Starting from noon, the North will hang up a hotline between the Central Committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and the South’s presidential Blue House, as a first step towards ending all contact with Seoul, state news agency KCNA said.

Other communication lines, including a cross-border military hotline that plays a key role in defusing tensions along the border, will also be axed.

For the past week, Pyongyang has lashed out at Seoul for turning a blind eye to defectors flying in anti-North Korea messages via balloons, despite a 2018 inter-Korean agreement to halt all hostile acts along the border.

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North Korea cuts off line of communication with ‘enemy’ South Korea

“This was a sign of hostility to all our people,” KCNA said. “We have reached a conclusion that there is no need to sit face to face with the South Korean authorities and there is no issue to discuss with them, as they have only aroused our dismay.”