December 09, 2023
News

Seoul calls for restart of inter-Korean hotlines after North Korean boat rescue

Ministry says incident in East Sea highlights need to restore communications that have been defunct since April

Seoul’s unification ministry emphasized the need to restart inter-Korean hotlines on Thursday, following South Korea’s recent rescue of a DPRK boat on the northern side of the maritime border.

Inter-Korean communication is “critical,” especially in emergency situations, as demonstrated by the ROK operation to help a North Korean vessel adrift near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the East Sea on Oct. 29, according to a ministry press release.