Inter-Korean Military Communications Cut Off Again After 2 Years (Comprehensive)

The military authorities of the South and North have conducted regular calls twice daily at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. using the military communication lines in the East and West Sea areas. In particular, the West Sea area military communication line is used as a channel for sending North Korea telephone notifications from the South to the North.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu]North Korea did not respond to the regular call through the inter-Korean military communication line on the morning of the 9th,

On that day, the Ministry of National Defense stated, "Around 9 a.m., North Korea did not respond to attempts to call through the East and West Sea military communication lines as well as the international common maritime network (hotline) between the two sides' naval vessels."

The military authorities of both Koreas have been conducting regular calls twice daily at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. using the East and West Sea military communication lines. In particular, the West Sea military communication line is used as a channel to send North Korea notification calls from the South.

Last November, in relation to the West Sea Changrindo coastal artillery firing and this May's GP shooting incident, notification calls were sent to North Korea through the military communication line. However, it is reported that North Korea did not respond to the protest notification calls. Unlike the joint inter-Korean liaison office's regular call, which was temporarily disconnected the day before, the military communication line and communication between naval vessels operated normally. However, this is interpreted as a measure following North Korea's announcement that it would "discard" all inter-Korean communication lines starting from that day.

There are three communication lines connected between the two Koreas. The West Sea military communication line, established in September 2002, consists of telephone, fax, and three backup lines. The East Sea military communication line, established in December 2003, was completely destroyed by a wildfire that occurred in the North Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) area. The West Sea contingency collision prevention communication line, established on August 13, 2005, was unilaterally suspended by North Korea in May 2008. The two Koreas agreed to restore all these lines in the Panmunjom Declaration and the inter-Korean general-level military talks. However, after just two years, the lines were severed again as of the morning of the 9th, raising concerns that military tensions will further escalate.

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