Why closing the inter-Korean hotline should be off the table | NK News
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October 13, 2024
Opinion

Why closing the inter-Korean hotline should be off the table

In the give-and-take between the Koreas, the hotline must be kept open to avoid escalating crises

The two Koreas are in conflict. In this conflict they signal toughness, threats or conciliation in a variety of ways, being constantly in a cycle of giving or taking, making concessions or removing them.

Unfortunately, Pyongyang views the direct North-South hotline system as subject to this relationship, raising risks of miscommunication when crises arise. They cut the hotline this year following the South’s closure of the Kaesong Industrial Park.

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