North and South back on blower

North Korea will restore cross-border communications with its southern counterpart, after cutting them off in August, the official KCNA news agency reported.

The decision comes after Pyongyang sparked international concern with a series of missile tests in the span of a few weeks. The tests prompted the UN Security Council to hold an emergency meeting.

The two Koreas had signalled a surprise thaw in relations in July by announcing the restoration of cross-border communications, which had been severed more than a year earlier. But the detente was short-lived, as North Korea stopped answering calls just two weeks later.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “expressed the intention of restoring the cut-off north-south communication lines”, KCNA said, reporting the move was an attempt to establish “lasting peace”.

It was not clear when the nations’ two leaders would have their first phone call.