MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2023) South Korean authorities believe that the North may have unilaterally cut off contact through the communication lines, but are still considering all possible options, as there have been cases before when Pyongyang reacted this way to joint military drills between Seoul and Washington, South Korean officials said on Monday.
Since Friday morning, North Korea stopped responding to regular calls from the South through inter-Korean communication channels, including the military and the unification ministry lines. The two countries are supposed to hold routine calls twice a day � in the morning and in the afternoon � via military and liaison hotlines, but North Korea has not returned calls for the fourth day, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry.
"North Korea did not respond to our call through the military communications channels over the weekend. As both channels at the South-North Joint Liaison Office and the military have not been answered until this morning, it is highly likely that the North unilaterally cut off the communication lines," Unification Ministry Spokesperson Koo Byoungsam said.
According to the South Korean defense ministry, Pyongyang's unilateral suspension of contact has happened before.
"There have been several instances in the past when communication on western or eastern military lines was blocked and then restored again ... There have been various instances, such as when (North Korea) did so in the background of our joint exercises," South Korean Defense Ministry Spokesman Jeon Ha-gyu told a briefing.
Jeon noted that Seoul is still considering various possible reasons for what is happening, including technical malfunctions on the North Korean side, and is monitoring the situation.
Tensions appear to be mounting on the Korean Peninsula as the United States and South Korea held large-scale drills, which Pyongyang viewed as a preparation for invasion. On Saturday, North Korea's state media reported on the testing of a Heil-2 underwater attack drone with a simulated nuclear warhead, and also condemned the South Korean and US drills.
The two Koreas have temporarily halted cross-border communication lines several times in the past. In June 2022 Pyongyang stopped answering calls due to technical glitches caused by rain. In June 2020, Pyongyang cut off communications with its southern neighbor and blew up the joint liaison office in the border town of Kaesong, in response to the campaign by North Korean defectors to fly propaganda leaflets on balloons across the border. In July 2021, the North restored the communication channel, only to cut it again in August, before finally mending it at the direction of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in October 2021.
