North Korea has announced that it will sever hotlines with South Korea as the first step towards shutting down all contact with Seoul, in retaliation for actions taken by defectors who have been sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border.<\/p>\n
Seoul also confirmed that Pyongyang had refused to receive calls from its liaison office after making the threat, Yonhap news agency reported quoting South Korea’s unification ministry.<\/p>\n
For several days, North Korea has lashed out at South Korea, threatening to close an inter-Korean liaison office and other projects if South Korea did not stop defectors from sending leaflets and other material into North Korea.<\/p>\n
The decision to cut communications marks a setback in relations amid efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons programme in exchange for relief on tough international sanctions.<\/p>\n
The two Koreas remain technically at war because the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.<\/p>\n
South Korea has promised to take legislative action to ban activities of the defectors, but analysts said North Korea’s move is probably about more than the defectors with the country facing increasing economic pressure from the coronavirus crisis and international sanctions.<\/p>\n
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