Liaison officers of the two Koreas spoke again through the inter-Korean communication line in the truce village of Panmunjom at around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, a day after the hotline reopened for the first time in 23 months.

A Unification Ministry official said that North Korea contacted the South and the two sides confirmed that the phone and fax lines were working normally. 

When the South Korean liaison officer asked if the North has anything to convey, he replied that the North would let the South know if there is any information. 

Observers believe that the two Koreas are planning to discuss from Thursday details of Seoul’s proposal to hold high-level inter-Korean talks next Tuesday. 

The North is expected to limit the topic of the proposed talks to its participation in the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games given comments made by a North Korean official a day earlier. 

On Wednesday, Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the North's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, described the proposed talks as discussions between the two Koreas’ officials on sending the North’s delegation to the Olympics.