Seoul, Oct 4 (TIWN) South and North Korea restored their direct communication lines on Monday, raising hopes for the resumption of stalled dialogue amid a deadlock in denuclearization talks.

The two sides had contact through a military hotline and a separate joint liaison office channel, Yonhap News Agency quoted South Korean officials as saying.

Hours earlier, North Korea’s state media announced that the lines would be back to normal operation as of 9 a.m. on the day.