North and South Korea agree to improve ties, Open communication channels

TIL Desk/World/Seoul/ North and South Korea exchanged messages Tuesday in communication channels that have been dormant for more than a year and agreed to improve ties — positive steps but ones that still leave any resumption of stalled negotiations to rid the North of its nuclear weapons long way off.

Liaison officials from the Koreas had phone conversations via three channels including a military hotline 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, and the links are also critical to preventing any accidental clashes along their disputed sea boundary.

While the resumption of communication could help ease tensions across the world’s most heavily fortified border, it’s only a small first step and Pyongyang is unlikely to revive vigorous cooperation programs with Seoul or get back to the nuclear talks led by the United States anytime soon.

Some experts say North Korea is aiming for improved ties with South Korea in the hopes it will persuade the US to make concessions when its larger nuclear diplomacy with Washington eventually resumes.