The government welcomed Tuesday's restoration of communication channels between the two Koreas after more than a year of severed ties, proposing to resume talks on cross-border issues.

At a press briefing, Unification Ministry spokesperson Lee Jong-joo said expressed the government's hopes that the reinstatement will help reboot discussions on various inter-Korean issues and implement steps to fulfill previous agreements.

Seoul connected with Pyongyang through the Panmunjeom channel at 10:00 a.m. and at the inter-Korean liaison office at 11:04 a.m.

The two Koreas had to set up new com channels early last year after staff members from the South were forced to abandon liaison offices in Gaeseong in the North amid COVID-19 concerns. The channels remained in place even after the North demolished the Gaesong liaison office building last June.

The two Koreas agreed to resume twice daily phone contacts at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The communication center in South Korea is stationed within the Unification Ministry in Seoul. North Korea has not revealed the location of its own contact center.