China welcomes DPRK, ROK to mend ties

BEIJING - China said Thursday it welcomed the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to make concrete efforts to mend ties.

The comments came after a cross-border communication channel in the truce village of Panmunjom was reopened Wednesday amid rising expectations for the DPRK's participation in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in the ROK.

"China hopes the international community will support the efforts by the DPRK and ROK, and China encourages all parties involved to do things that ease tensions and increase mutual trust," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a press briefing.

The inter-Korean hotline was suspended after Seoul closed an industrial park in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong following Pyongyang's nuclear test in January 2016.

The ROK Tuesday proposed holding a senior-level, inter-governmental dialogue on Jan. 9 to discuss the DPRK's dispatch of its delegation to the Winter Olympics.

"It serves the interests of the DPRK and ROK to improve ties through dialogue and promote reconciliation and cooperation," Geng said. "It is also conducive to alleviating the tension on the Korean Peninsula, achieving denuclearization and maintaining peace, stability and security of the region."