Pink North Korea Direct Hotline Released by UN Command

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The United Nations Command has released a photo of the direct telephone line used to communicate with North Korean soldiers at Panmunjom.

On the 6th, the UN Command shared the photo of the direct telephone line on Facebook, stating, "This telephone plays a very important role as the direct line between the UN Command and North Korean soldiers."

The UN Command explained, "Using this telephone, the UN Command Military Armistice Commission conducts communication checks with North Korean soldiers twice daily," adding, "As of last year, a total of 130 notifications have been exchanged."

The revealed direct telephone is bright pink and resembles an 'old-fashioned phone' that is rarely seen nowadays. The gray buttons are numbered from 1 to 0, with letters inscribed above the numbers.

Accompanying the photo, the UN Command posed a quiz, saying, "Is this a Batphone (the direct line installed in the secret Batcave in the Batman movie)? Or is it a Pink Phone of Love?"

A photo showing a UN Command soldier making a call in an office was also released. The direct telephone is placed both in the UN Command duty officer's office on the South Korean side of Panmunjom and in the Panmungak building on the North Korean side, connecting the UN Command and North Korean soldiers. It was restored in July 2018 after about five years amid a mood of easing tensions between South and North Korea and between North Korea and the United States.

North Korea unilaterally cut off the direct telephone line with the UN Command in 2013 after declaring the Armistice Agreement null and void. At that time, instead of the phone, the UN Command used megaphones at the Military Demarcation Line within Panmunjom to deliver messages vocally.

It is known that messages regarding the excavation of war casualties from the Korean War and the removal of landmines in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) were conveyed through the direct telephone line.

According to foreign media reports, officers belonging to the UN Command use the direct telephone line not only for official conversations but also for everyday communication with the North Korean side. A UN Command officer said they have talked about topics such as Major League Baseball and girlfriends with North Korean officials.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.