South Korea’s Moon calls for return of inter-Korean army hotlines

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in says military hotlines with Pyongyang should be restored to prevent unexpected incidents after it was revealed that North Korean troops had shot dead a South Korean fisheries official who had gone missing. Restoring hotlines with North Korea would facilitate communications and future rescue operations, Moon told a meeting with senior secretaries on Monday, as both sides continued searching for the man’s body. On Monday, South Korean officials said they had expanded their search for the man, amid warnings from North Korea that its neighbour was raising tension by intruding into its territorial waters. South Korea’s military has accused North Korean soldiers of killing the man, dousing his body in fuel and setting it on fire near the maritime border, apparently in an effort to prevent the risk of a novel coronavirus outbreak. Following the incident, officials in Seoul called on Pyongyang to agree to a joint probe into the incident, which prompted an apology from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who said the killing should not have happened. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">