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Tensions on the Korean Peninsula

Seoul, Pyongyang agree to reopen military hotline — media

The work of the communication channel was discontinued in 2013 at North Korea’s initiative

© AP Photo/Lee Jin-man

MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. The DPRK and the Republic of Korea have agreed to reopen a hotline between the two countries’ militaries whose goal is to prevent the escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, the Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday.

North Korea has completed technical work necessary to restore the hotline, which will begin operating on Wednesday, Reuters reported citing a South Korean government official. He noted that Pyongyang’s representatives had notified the South Korean delegation about that at the negotiations that are currently underway.

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The work of the communication channel between representatives of the two countries’ armed forces was discontinued in 2013 at North Korea’s initiative. During his visit to Pyongyang in December 2017, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman urged the parties to restore communication channels, including between military officials, to reduce the risk of miscalculation.

On January 3, South Korea and the DPRK restored another communication line in the border village of Panmunjom. On January 5, the South Korean Ministry of Unification announced that Pyongyang had accepted Seoul’s proposal to hold the first high-level talks since December 2015. They began in Panmunjom on Tuesday. The possible participation of the North Korean national team in the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea’s PyeongChang topped the agenda of the consultations.

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