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A South Korean liaison officer with the Unification Ministry at the Joint Security Area in Panmunjeom speaks with his North Korean counterpart over the inter-Korean communications channel at 3:34 pm on Jan. 3. The Unification Ministry announced that the North Korean side had called at 3:30 and confirmed that the telephone and fax functions were working normally. The green and red buttons in the middle are used for calling. The clock to the left of the monitor shows South Korean time

A day after South Korea’s proposal for dialogue, North Korea sent a message of agreement. The communication channel at Panmunjeom was restored the same day after a year and 11 months. Momentum now appears to be gathering for inter-Korean dialogue.

“A telephone conversation took place at 3:30 pm between the South and North Korean liaison officers at Panmunjeom,” a South Korean Ministry of Unification official said on Jan. 3.

“The call was made by North Korea, and there was communication for 20 minutes, including an inspection of the communication lines,” the official added.

The communication consisted mainly of a technical inspection for issues with the communication line and included no discussions related to inter-Korean talks, sources said.

The reopening of the inter-Korean communication channel at Panmunjeom comes a year and 11 months after North Korea shut it down over the Feb. 2016 closure of the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

Blue House Senior Secretary to the President for Public Relations Yoon Young-chan welcomed the channel’s reopening, saying the “restoration of a communication network is of great significance. It suggests that we are proceeding toward a structure where ongoing dialogue is possible,” he said.

In a New Year’s address on Jan. 1, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced the possible pursuit of inter-Korean talks. The push for dialogue now appears to be gaining momentum, with Cho’s proposal for senior-level talks on Jan. 2 and the restoration of the Panmunjeom inter-Korean communication channel on Jan. 3.

North Korea previously announced at around 1:20 pm the same day that the Panmunjeom communication channel would be restored. Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland (CPRF) chairman Ri Son-kwon, North Korea’s equivalent to the Minister of Unification, announced on the Korean Central Television network that Kim Jong-un had “given orders to reopen the Panmunjeom communication channel between North and South as of 1500 hours on Jan. 3 (3:30 pm Seoul time) to allow for timely liaising with the South on matters related to the sending of a delegation to the Pyeongchang Olympics and the holding of talks.”

“We will honor the wishes of the supreme leadership by establishing a close linkage with the South Korean side from a sincere good-faith stance, discussing practical matters related to the sending of our delegation,” he continued.

“Once again, we sincerely hope for a successful staging of the Pyeongchang Olympics,” he added.

Ri also said Kim had ordered the Workers’ Party United Front Department, CPRF, and National Sports Commission to handle working-level duties related to the inter-Korean talks.

Meanwhile, South Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha spoke by telephone the same morning with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. During the conversation, Kang explained the background behind the proposal for inter-Korean talks and stressed Seoul’s position in favor of using the Pyeongchang Winter Games as an opportunity improve inter-Korean relations and pursue a peaceful resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue. Tillerson replied that the US would “continue its diplomatic efforts to cooperate closely with South Korea in ushering North Korea onto a path of meaningful denuclearization,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer and Seong Yeon-cheol, staff reporter

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