Seoul Calls On Pyongyang to Resume Inter-Korean Contacts

On Sunday, South Korea's Unification Ministry issued a call encouraging the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to restore a communication hotline between the two countries.

According to Korean media, Kim Yo Jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's sister and key adviser, spoke twice last week regarding a possible pathway for Pyongyang and Seoul to repair ties and host an inter-Korean summit.

Officials noted that Kim Yo Jong's recent statement of North Korea being open to conditional talks is meaningful toward reconciliation, denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean government is reportedly eager to resume stable communications with the DPRK.

Relations between the Koreas flourished in 2018 when Seoul helped arrange high-profile nuclear diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang, including a summit between Kim Jong Un and then-US President Donald Trump. But Pyongyang cut off ties with Seoul after the Kim-Trump diplomacy broke down in 2019 due to disputes over the US-led sanctions.