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North and South Korea announced an unexpected warming of relations on Tuesday, saying they had restored ties that had been broken more than a year ago.
North Korea unilaterally cut all political-military lines last June, and threatened South Korean activists by sending cross-border withdrawals against the Pyongyang regime.
Relations between Seoul and Pyongyang were already on hold at the time, despite three meetings in 2018 between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
However, both sides announced Tuesday that all lines of communication had been restored.
“According to an agreement reached by top leaders, the North and the South have taken steps to reestablish all lines of communication between the two Koreas as of 10 am on July 27,” North Korean state news agency KCNA said in a statement.
The South Korean presidency, for its part, announced that Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in had exchanged several personal letters since April to improve relations. Both agreed that the reestablishment of contacts would be a first step in this direction.
“The two leaders also agreed to restore mutual trust between the two Koreas as soon as possible and further develop relations,” the presidency said.
Moon Jae-in is credited with holding the first meeting of North Korean leader and then US President Donald Trump in Singapore in 2018.
However, Pyongyang severed nearly all ties with Seoul after the failed second meeting of Kim Jong Un and D. Trump in Hanoi, and the leaders made no progress on North Korea’s nuclear disarmament.
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