The two Koreas have reestablished communication via a Red Cross phone line at the truce village of Panmunjeom after an eight-month hiatus.

The Unification Ministry said that a liaison officer from the North contacted South Korean officials via the hotline at Panmunjeom at around 12:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Last year, the North cut the hotline amid rising tension between the Koreas over the sinking of the South’s “Cheonan” naval ship.