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North Korea Reopens Key Communication Line With South Korea

South Korea's Ministry of Unification confirmed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave the order for the line to be reopened Wednesday.
Posted at 8:38 AM, Jan 03, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-03 08:38:37-05

A key communication line between North and South Korea is up and running for the first time in nearly two years.

South Korea's Ministry of Unification confirmed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave the order for the line to be reopened Wednesday.

According to several reports, the two countries later made contact over the hotline for 20 minutes to make sure it was operating correctly.

The move came two days after Kim Jong-un extended what seemed to be an olive branch to South Korea during his annual New Year's Day speech. 

He sent his well wishes for the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang and offered to send a delegation to participate in the games.

South Korea responded by proposing high-level talks between the two countries on Jan. 9. As of Wednesday morning, no word yet on if that meeting will happen.