Seoul awaits N. Korean call after Trump's agreement to suspend military exercises

By Lim Chang-won Posted : January 5, 2018, 09:45 Updated : January 5, 2018, 09:45

[Yonhap News Photo]


SEOUL, Jan. 05 (Aju News) -- A restored border hotline remained hooked up for any sudden call from North Korea Friday after U.S. and South Korean leaders agreed on a temporary halt to regular joint military exercises during next month's Winter Olympics.

South Korea's liaison office was on standby in the truce village of Panmunjom in the middle of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), which bisects the Korean peninsula, according to the South's unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs,

In a telephone conversation on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed President Moon Jae-in's proposal to stop any joint military drills between the allies in February if there are no more North Korean provocations.

Trump and Moon agreed to "de-conflict the Olympics and our military exercises so that the United States and Republic of Korea forces can focus on ensuring the security of the Games", the White House said in a statement.

Moon said the resumption of inter-Korean talks would help create an atmosphere for dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang on resolving the North Korean nuclear issue. Trump promised to send a high-level delegation, including his family, saying resumed inter-Korean dialogue was a "good thing".

North Korea reopened the Panmunjom hotline Wednesday to discuss its participation in the Winter Olympics, fueling expectations that the two Koreas may put their stalled dialogue back on track. The hotline has been used for inter-Korean contact and exchanges for decades.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said in his New Year's message that he is willing to send a sports delegation to South Korea. In response, South Korea proposed high-level talks in Panmunjom, but Pyongyang has yet to accept the proposal.

In February 2016, North Korea cut off cross-border hotlines in Panmunjom and other areas after South Korea shut down an inter-Korean industrial estate in retaliation for the North's ballistic missile and nuclear tests.

 
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