South, North Korea reopen hotlines

South and North Korea have restored hotlines that Pyongyang severed a year ago when ties deteriorated sharply, and the two countries' leaders are renewing efforts to rebuild relations, Seoul's presidential office said yesterday.

Liaison officials from the Koreas had phone conversations via three channels and agreed to talk twice a day in two of them as they did in the past, Seoul officials said. The rivals use the channels to lay their positions on issues and even propose broader dialogue. The links are also critical to preventing accidental clashes along their disputed sea boundary.

While the resumption of communication could help ease tensions across the world's most heavily fortified border, Pyongyang is unlikely to revive vigorous cooperation programs with Seoul or get back to the nuclear talks soon. Some experts say North Korea is hoping the move will persuade the United States to make concessions when its nuclear diplomacy with Washington eventually resumes.

During the diplomatic impasse, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has threatened to enlarge his nuclear arsenal if the US doesn't abandon its hostile policy, an apparent reference to the sanctions. But he still maintains his self-imposed moratorium on powerful weapons tests, a sign that he doesn't want to completely derail the diplomacy with Washington.

Moon's office said the two leaders agreed to "restore mutual confidence and develop their relationships again." The North's state media said it was "a big stride in recovering mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the cutoff inter-Korean communication liaison lines."