Hotline between the two Koreas: why hasn't it been used yet?

Analysis

Hotline between the two Koreas: why hasn’t it been used yet?

DPRK watchers pessimistic about line ever having much practical purpose

Chad O'Carroll May 10, 2019

Hotline between the two Koreas: why hasn’t it been used yet?

Though Seoul and Pyongyang installed a "historic hotline" between the two Koreas during a period of detente in April last year, South Korea's Prime Minister revealed in March that the telephone system has yet to be used by either leader.

As the first official hotline to be installed between the two Koreas, the connection is ostensibly designed to provide South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un a means to reduce misunderstanding during times of tension.

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About the Author

Chad O'Carroll

Chad O'Carroll is the founder of NK News/NK Pro and related holding company Korea Risk Group. In addition to being the group's CEO, O'Carroll is a frequent writer and commentator about the Koreas, having written about the two nations since 2010. He has visited the DPRK multiple times, worked and lived in Washington, D.C. with a focus on peninsula issues, and lived in the ROK since 2016.

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