The two Koreas have resumed ship-to-ship radio communication links for the first time in ten years.

The South Korean Defense Ministry said on Sunday that the two sides normalized the operation of the radio links in line with the recent agreements in the high-level military talks to defuse military tensions and prevent unexpected confrontations, especially in the Yellow Sea.

The ministry said that during the 9 o'clock test communication earlier in the day, a South Korean Navy vessel off Yeonpyeong Island contacted a North Korean patrol boat, which responded immediately to the call.

The ministry said the inter-Korean maritime communication was severed in May 2008 when the North stopped responding to all South Korean calls made via the global merchant marine communication network.