South Korea urges North to reactivate communication hotlines before any talks

Seoul’s Unification Ministry welcomed a statement from Kim Yo-jong, the sister of Kim Jong-un, about North Korea being open to conditional talks

Meanwhile, Britain has collected evidence of multiple ships apparently breaching UN sanctions which ban the sale of fuel to North Korea

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Military guard posts of North Korea, rear, and South Korea, bottom, are seen in Paju, after Pyongyang indicated it was open to closer ties with Seoul. Photo: AP

Published: 7:30pm, 26 Sep 2021Updated: 7:30pm, 26 Sep 2021

South Korea on Sunday urged North Korea to restore dormant communication hotlines, a day after the North repeated an offer to open conditional talks.

The North might be seeking to extract concessions about two weeks after it raised tensions by carrying out its first missile tests in six months. North Korea has twice reached out to South Korea saying it is open to talks if conditions are met.

Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, said on Saturday the two Koreas can take steps toward reconciliation if South Korea abandons “hostile polices” and “double-dealing standards”.

She did not elaborate on what specific steps she wants South Korea to take. But some experts say North Korea wants South Korea to play a role in winning relief from US-led sanctions, getting aid, or receiving other concessions such as international recognition as a nuclear weapons state.

On Sunday, South Korea’s Unification Ministry called Kim Yo-jong’s statement “meaningful”, saying the South has been consistently pushing to achieve denuclearisation and peace on the Korean peninsula through dialogue.

A ministry statement said that to hold talks on beginning steps toward reconciliation, suspended cross-border communication lines must be reactivated quickly to promote stable communications between the divided countries. It said Seoul hopes the two Koreas can resume talks on many pending issues.