Two Koreas reopen hotline

Pyongyang yet to respond to proposal to high-level talks

By Kim Rahn

North Korea reopened the cross-border communication link at the truce village of Panmunjeom, Wednesday, in response to South Korea's suggestion for high-level talks on its participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games and other issues.

Government officials and experts said the restoration of the hotline could be a turning point in inter-Korean relations, as the link has been closed for 23 months after the North shut it down in February 2016 to protest the South's closure of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.

Immediately after 3:30 p.m., the time when North Korea said it would restore the communication channel, liaison officers of the two Koreas at Panmunjeom talked over the hotline, according to the Ministry of Unification.

"The North Korean side made the call first, and both sides checked whether the phone and fax were working properly for about 20 minutes," a ministry official said.

Besides the technical checks, the two sides did not mention the high-level talks which South Korea proposed to hold on Jan. 9, he added.

Earlier in the day, Ri Son-gwon, head of the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, an organization handling inter-Korean affairs, said the country's leader Kim Jong-un ordered the communication channel restored at 3:30 p.m. to discuss details on sending a delegation to the Winter Games to be held in February.

"Upon his order, we will closely communicate with South Korea in a serious and faithful manner," Ri said via the Korean Central Broadcasting Station. "We again say we hope the PyeongChang Olympic Games will be held successfully."

North Korea unveils negotiators for upcoming talks with South 2018-01-07 13:53  |  North Korea US skeptical about Pyongyang's overture 2018-01-03 16:12  |  Foreign Affairs Inter-Korean talks must deal with nukes 2018-01-03 15:05  |  Politics The link was reopened two days after Kim said in his New Year speech that Pyongyang was willing to send a delegation to the games and was open to talks with Seoul, and a day after South Korea proposed high-level talks in response. Calling for the Panmunjeom line to be restored, the South tried to contact the North through the line Tuesday to no avail.

According to Ri, Kim said inter-Korean talks for the delegation dispatch would be the first step in improving inter-Korean relations, and made detailed orders to related state organizations. But he did not give any details.

As Cheong Wa Dae welcomed Kim's speech on the North's participation in the PyeongChang Olympics and President Moon Jae-in ordered related ministries to quickly take follow-up measures, Ri said, "Kim evaluated this highly and positively and welcomed it."

But he did not mention whether the North would accept the South's proposal for high-level talks, only saying the two Koreas would discuss working-level issues about the delegation dispatch.

"Kim stressed that whether inter-Korean relations will improve according to the Korean people's expectations and wishes depends on how the two governments deal with the issue with responsibility," Ri said.

Cheong Wa Dae welcomed the communication channel reopening.

"Recovering the communication link is significant," senior presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan said. "We regard it as the two Koreas moving toward a stage where communication is available at any time."

In an official statement, the government said, "We welcome North Korea's positive response to our proposal to restore the communication link at Panmunjeom. Through this, we'll discuss working-level issues regarding inter-Korean talks."

Inter-Korean dialogue has long been stalled, with North Korea carrying out nuclear and missile tests, and the international community applying heavier sanctions against the reclusive country.

After being elected in May, liberal President Moon made peace overtures to North Korea multiple times, but Pyongyang kept silent. In July, South Korea proposed military talks to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula and Red Cross talks to resume reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, but the North did not respond to the offers.