Pyongyang, Seoul re-establish aviation hotline

SEOUL - North and South Korea Monday reconnected an aviation hotline between the two countries’ largest airports following months of tension, a government official in Seoul said.

The North cut off the connection between the Pyongyang and Incheon airports in May after Seoul blamed the Stalinist state for the sinking of one of its navy vessels. As a reaction, Pyongyang froze all ties with the South.

Airport officials tested the connection Monday, the South’s Yonhap News Agency quoted a spokesman of the unification ministry as saying. He added that Pyongyang had offered to re-establish the connection, without giving a reason for its decision.

South Korean aircraft are, however, still not allowed to use the airspace of their northern neighbour.