North Korea's Kim orders reopening of border hotline with South Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has given an order to open a long-closed border hotline with South Korea at 0630 GMT on Wednesday for talks, an unidentified North Korean official announced in a televised statement.

The talks would aim to establish formal dialogue about sending a North Korean delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea next month, the official said.

The statement came a day after South Korea proposed high-level discussions with North Korea following Kim’s earlier New Year’s address, in which he said he was open to speaking with Seoul.