Reconnecting North-South Korea hotline ‘a good start’
- Officials from both countries communicate for the first time since August
- Restoring the line is a positive step but who knows how long the rapport will last, observer says
South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said officials from the two countries spoke on the phone on Monday morning, their first communication since August.
“The government has determined that the restoration of the South-North communication line has provided a foundation for improving inter-Korean relations,” the ministry said.
The Monday call was welcomed by the United States and China.
In Washington, the State Department said it strongly supported inter-Korean cooperation, calling the reconnected lines “an important component in creating a more stable environment on the Korean peninsula”.
And on Twitter, Liu Xiaoming, Beijing’s special representative on Korean peninsula affairs, said the restored connection was “remarkable progress”.
Hwang Jae-ho, director of the Global Security Cooperation Centre at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, said the call was a good sign that could pave the way for the leaders of the two countries to meet either in person or online.