Unification ministry hopes inter-Korean liaison office resumes operations as it marks 2nd anniversary

The unification ministry called Monday for an early resumption of operations of the inter-Korean liaison office as it marked the second anniversary of the office three months after the North's destruction of the office's building.

The joint liaison office opened in the North's border city of Kaesong in September 2018 to support inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation after a summit agreement between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in April that year.

This year's anniversary comes after the North blew up the liaison office building in June in anger over the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets by activists in the South.

"We consider it very unfortunate that the two Koreas do not have even the basic communication channel and that this situation has protracted as operations of the inter-Korean liaison office have been suspended," Yoh Sang-key, the ministry's spokesperson, said in a regular press briefing on Monday.

"The government hopes the inter-Korean liaison office resumes operations and the communication channel between the two Koreas is restored as soon as possible," he added.

Inter-Korean relations remain stalled as North Korea has not responded to Seoul's calls for exchanges and cooperation since the no-deal summit between Pyongyang and Washington in early 2019. (Yonhap)