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Seoul says it hopes the move will provide a “base” for rebuilding ties tested by a recent round of missile launches.
North Korea and South Korea have re-established their cross-border hotline, the Seoul government said on Monday, with officials exchanging their first phone call since August.
The move comes just days after Pyongyang sparked international concern with a series of missile tests within weeks, triggering an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Seoul’s Unification Ministry confirmed that officials from the two Koreas exchanged their first phone call since August on Monday morning.
“With the restoration of the South-North line of communication, the government believes that a basis for the restoration of inter-Korean relations has been laid,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The government hopes … to resume dialogue quickly and begin practical discussions to restore inter-Korean relations,” he added.
Earlier Monday, North Korean state media reported that the line, cut after a brief reconnection in late July, would be restored at 9:00 a.m. (00:00 GMT).
KCNA said leader Kim Jong Un “expressed his intention to re-establish severed North-South lines of communication” with the aim of establishing “lasting peace” on the Korean Peninsula.
Tensions between the two Koreans have grown since Pyongyang stopped responding to hotline calls in August.
Last month, Pyongyang conducted a series of missile tests, including a hypersonic weapon and a cruise missile with nuclear capabilities.
South Korea has also tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).
Talks to dismantle Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs collapsed due to sanctions relief in 2019 and have yet to resume.
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