Two Koreas fully restore western military communication line
(VOVWORLD) - South and North Korea fully restored their military communication line on the western part of the peninsula Tuesday, a step to build confidence and reduce cross-border tensions.
 This file photo, taken in September 2013, shows a South Korean solider using a western inter-Korean military communication line. (Yonhap) |
The complete restoration of fax and phone connections was part of an agreement from last month's inter-Korean general-grade military talks, the first such meeting in more than a decade. The western line was suspended in 2016 following Seoul's shutdown of the inter-Korean industrial complex in the North's border city of Kaesong, but its telephone link was restored in January ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, in which North Korea participated. The two Koreas are also set to restore the eastern line. It was blocked in 2011 amid military tensions, becoming completely severed in 2013 due to a wildfire.
The same day, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said South Korea plans to revise laws to boost inter-Korean exchanges, and support South Korea’s business partnerships with the North. The revision draft will be made available for public opinion from next week until the end of August.