Pyongyang and Seoul restored cross-border communications on Monday, with officials exchanging their first phone call since lines were cut in August.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) earlier announced that it would restore severed inter-Korean hotlines on Monday, but urged the Republic of Korea (ROK) to step up efforts to improve relations, state media outlet KCNA reported.

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The report said the decision followed a speech by the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un last Thursday in which he expressed the intention of restoring the cut-off inter-Korean communication lines as part of an effort to "realize the expectations and desire of the entire Korean nation."

"The South Korean (ROK's) authorities should make positive efforts to put the north-south ties on a right track and settle the important tasks which must be prioritized to open up the bright prospect in the future, bearing deep in mind the meaning of the restoration of communication lines," the report said. 

Seoul later confirmed that it had restored cross-border communication with Pyongyang. "The government evaluates that a foundation for recovering inter-Korean relations has been provided," the ROK's Unification Ministry said in a statement. 

The ROK's government also expressed hope that the two sides would swiftly resume dialogue and begin practical discussions to improve inter-Korean relations.

Inter-Korean ties have remained cold since the summit between the DPRK and the United States ended without a deal in early 2019. The inter-Korean hotlines were briefly back in operation in late July, but the DPRK refused Seoul's regular calls again two weeks later in protest at joint military drills by the ROK and the U.S. 

(With input from Xinhua)

(Cover: A military officer of the ROK speaks over a phone call with a DPRK official at an undisclosed location near the Demilitarized Zone, October 4, 2021. /CFP)