N. Korea normalizes direct phone channel with South

SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has normalized a key inter-Korean
communication channel after suspending it for months to protest Seoul's hardline
policy, an official said.
"The North's side told us it has begun normal operations. We view this as the
normalization of communications between the Red Cross offices," Unification
Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said in a briefing.
The Red Cross phone and fax link, a key hotline between the two governments, was
suspended in November as Pyongyang protested Seoul's participation in a U.N.
resolution criticizing its human rights conditions.
North Korea reopened the line last week when a North Korean delegation visited
Seoul to pay condolences to late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. But
it did not respond to calls from Seoul on Monday after the delegation returned
home.
"We made a call this morning, and a North Korean liaison officer answered," Chun
said.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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