Kim Jong-un says he’s willing to restore key hotline between North Korea and South

Communication channels could be used from October, says North Korean leader

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is pictured with his sister Kim Yo-jong (Getty Images)

Kim Jong-un is prepared to restore his country’s hotlines with South Korea, several months after it stopped replying to messages from Seoul, North Korea’s state news agency has revealed.

The rival’s series of direct communication channels were used for two weeks earlier this summer, before Pyongyang closed them in protest at South Korea’s annual joint military drills with the US.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Thursday that these hotlines could be up and running again in October.

The North Korean leader said the move sought to realise his people’s desire for peace, according to KCNA.

However, the development comes a day after Pyongyang announced that the hypersonic missile test it conducted on Tuesday - its third launch this month -  had been successful.

Last week, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, said that her country would consider holding a summit with its neighbour, as long as Seoul abandons “hostile policies”.

Although Ms Kim did not specify what she meant, regional experts suggest Pyongyang might want South Korea to help lift American sanctions against it.

She added that reconciliation between the countries is possible. “There is no need for the North and the South to waste time faulting each other and engaging in a war of words,” she said.

In response to her comments, Seoul’s unification ministry said on Sunday that the inter-Korean hotlines would have to be restored before discussions took place.

Additional reporting by agencies