Seoul's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it is in close communication with the U.S. at all times. The statement comes after North Korea cut off all contact channels with South Korea.

Ministry spokesperson Kim In-chul said at a regular briefing that one of the key roles of the Foreign Ministry is communication and it has and will continue to communicate with other countries when the need arises.

Earlier in the day, North Korea declared it would sever all cross-border communication channels in protest of leaflet campaigns carried out by North Korean defectors in South Korea. The phone lines have indeed become non-responsive.

South Korean and U.S. officials have held working-level talks since Kim Yo-jong, a top Pyongyang official and the sister of the regime's leader, threatened to take measures on Thursday over the leaflets.

The two sides are known to have acknowledged the change in Kim Yo-jong's political status.