Two Koreas fully restore western military communication line

South and North Korea fully restored their military communication line on the western part of the peninsula Tuesday, Seoul's defense ministry said, a step to build confidence and reduce cross-border tensions.

The complete restoration was part of an agreement from last month's inter-Korean general-grade military talks, the first such meeting in more than a decade.

The western line was suspended in 2016 following Seoul's shutdown of the inter-Korean industrial complex in the North's border city of Kaesong, but its telephone link was restored in January ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, where the North participated.

The two Koreas are also set to restore the eastern line. It was blocked in 2011 amid military tensions and then completely severed due to a wildfire in 2013. (Yonhap)