SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea said it was cutting off all communication channels with South Korea on Tuesday, a move experts say could signal...
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea said it was cutting off all communication channels with South Korea on Tuesday, a move experts say could signal Pyongyang has grown frustrated that Seoul has failed to revive lucrative inter-Korean economic projects and persuade the United States to ease sanctions.
North Korea has cut communications in the past — not replying to South Korean phone calls or faxes — and then restored those channels when tensions eased. North Korea has been accused at times of deliberately creating tensions to bolster internal unity or to signal its frustration over a lack of progress in nuclear talks with Washington.
South Korea’s liberal government, which seeks improved relations with North Korea, said that cross-border hotlines must be maintained as they are the basic means of communication between the two Koreas. The Unification Ministry said South Korea will strive to promote peace while abiding by inter-Korean agreements.
North Korea's latest moves will further set back South Korean President Moon Jae-in's push for inter-Korean reconciliation. Moon, who met Kim Jong Un three times in 2018, facilitated a flurry of high-profile meetings between Pyongyang and Washington, including the first summit between Kim and President Donald Trump in June 2018.
Critics of Moon’s engagement policy say North Korea had initially expected Moon to help it win sanctions relief but eventually got angry with him after Kim returned from the second Trump summit empty handed.
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