DPRK, ROK may revive six-party talks
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A key communications hotline between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Republic of Korea (ROK) has been reactivated at Pyongyang's request in another move toward restoration of bilateral ties and a potential resumption of the Six-Party Talks.
A revived aviation hotline, connecting the countries' principal international airports, was among the three hotlines between the two countries.?
"The control centers in Pyongyang and Incheon completed a test call at 9 am," said ROK Unification Ministry Spokesman Chun Hae-sung, adding that it represented the first such contact since Pyongyang severed communications in May over the sinking of an ROK warship.
The divisions on the fragile peninsula have been strongly frayed since 2009 when the DPRK walked out of the Six-Party Talks aimed at nuclear disarmament on the peninsula.
Relations further deteriorated after Seoul accused Pyongyang of involvement in the March sinking of the Cheonon warship, causing 46 deaths. Pyongyang has denied the charges.
But past months have witnessed a series of Pyongyang-led initiatives to get bilateral ties on track.
The latest move comes at a sensitive time in which tensions between the two sides have shown signs of thawing, coupled with a series of statements and scheduled talks on the peninsula.
DPRK officials made it clear on Saturday that they were ready for the resumption of the nuclear proliferation talks, and would make ceaseless, patient efforts, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the country's official news outlet.
This is the first time Pyongyang changed its rhetoric after threatening to permanently withdraw from the Six-Party Talks in 2009 in protest over international sanctions imposed on the country over its nuclear ambitions.
Meanwhile, a DPRK delegation visited China to discuss regional issues and the possibility of reviving the disarmament talks.
Joint efforts to address the nuclear issue further strengthened as envoys from the United States, Japan, Russia, the ROK and China on Sunday exchanged their viewpoints on the future of the nuclear talks, according to the ROK's Yonhap News Agency.
But warmed relations are not likely to result in direct talks anytime soon, including summit talks between the two countries, as Seoul insisted Pyongyang show genuine willingness for peace.
"A big question is whether the DPRK is approaching the goal with sincerity, which could affect our decision on whether to hold the talks," said Hyun In-taek, the ROK's minister of unification, in an interview published on Monday.
As to recent developments, one significant change is the ROK's de-linkage of the Cheonon incident with prospects of talks with the DPRK, said Liu Jiangyong, a senior scholar of Japanese studies at Tsinghua University.
China's active coordination and the DPRK's desire for a favorable international environment are both crucial, said Liu.
The six parties, meanwhile, should stand prepared to concentrate on nuclear issues instead of on any bilateral dispute, should the long-stalled Six-Party Talks resume, Liu added.
