North Korea reopens hotline to South
Pyongyang 3 Jan (ANA) - North Korea has reopened a hotline to South Korea, almost two years after it was disabled on the orders of leader Kim Jong-un. South Korea confirmed it had received a call from the North at 15:30 local time (06:30 GMT) on Wednesday. The North Korean leader had earlier said he was open to dialogue with Seoul and to sending a team to the Winter Olympics in the South next month. The two nations have not held high-level talks since December 2015. North Korea cut off the communications channel shortly afterwards, refusing to answer calls, according to officials in the South. A North Korean official announced the hotline's reopening in a televised statement.
He said the two nations would discuss the practical issues around a proposal to send a North Korean delegation to the Winter Games in Pyeongchang in February. "We will make close contact with South Korea in a sincere and faithful manner," Yonhap news agency quoted the official as saying.  The press secretary for South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said the restoration of this communications channel was "very significant". "It creates an environment where communication will be possible at all times," he said.(ANA)
FA/ANA/3 January 2018-------