NORTH and South Korea have restored suspended communication channels between them and agreed to improve ties, their governments said today.

While the move could help ease animosities on the Korean peninsula, it is unclear whether Pyongyang would go as far as to revive previous vigorous co-operation programmes with Seoul and get back to the nuclear talks with Washington.

Since April, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae In have exchanged personal letters several times and decided to normalise the cross-border communication channels as a first step towards improving relations, Mr Moon’s office said.