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South Korea, North Korea restore hotline, agree to improve relations
- Seoul’s presidential Blue House said President Moon Jae-in and the North’s leader Kim Jong-un have exchanged multiple letters since April
- Analysts say the move is the first step in mending fences and will pave the way for the North and the US to reopen dialogue on denuclearisation
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South Korea and North Korea on Tuesday reopened a severed communication hotline and the two countries’ leaders agreed to rebuild trust and improve ties, Seoul’s presidential Blue House said.
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President Moon Jae-in and the North’s leader Kim Jong-un had also exchanged multiple letters since April in which they committed to restoring inter-Korean ties, it said.
“The two leaders have agreed to restore mutual trust and improve relations between the South and the North,” Moon’s spokesman Park Soo-hyun said.
At least 49 hotlines have been set up between the two Koreas since the 1970s, and Seoul sees them as a crucial tool to prevent misunderstandings from unexpected military developments, especially along their shared, heavily fortified demilitarised zone (DMZ).
The lines were also meant to arrange diplomatic meetings, coordinate air and sea traffic, facilitate humanitarian discussions, minimise impacts from natural disasters and cooperate on economic issues.
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