SEOUL – North and South Korea reopened a maritime communication channel onSunday, with vessels from the two countries making radio contact for thefirst time in a decade, South Korea’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.
A North Korean patrol boat responded immediately when the South Korean Navycontacted it via an international radio channel at 9 a.m. Sunday in thewestern sea, normalising the maritime communication channel for the firsttime in 10 years, according to the ministry.
The move showed the two Koreas were “taking practical steps” to upholdagreements made on April 27 when their leaders decided to defuse militarytensions in a gradual manner, an official from the ministry said.