North Korea's Kim Jong Un Suggested Rebuilding An Inter-Korean Hotline.

He also accused the United States of offering negotiations without changing its "hostile policy" towards North Korea. Pyongyang cut phone lines in August this year in protest against military drills by South Korea and the United States. Kim's latest comments were made during the annual parliamentary session in Pyongyang.

"The United States is promoting 'diplomatic commitments' ... but this is nothing more than a ploy to deceive the international community and cover-up its hostile acts," state-run KCNA said in a report. But Mr. Kim appears to be extending the olive branch conditionally to South Korea.

He plans to restore communications in early October, but that will depend on the "attitude of the authorities in South Korea" and whether their relations begin to improve or the "current breakdown" continues, KCNA reported. Kim's latest comments echo those of his sister earlier this week, in which he said North Korea would be ready to resume talks with the South if it ended its "hostile policies."

In a statement, Kim Yo-john said South Korea must give up its "dual stance" and "hostility to justify its actions that violate our right to self-defense". He added that face-to-face discussions about "declaring a significant end to the war" could not occur until these conditions were met.

The communication hotline between the two has been cut and restored several times in recent years. In 2020, after a failed North-South summit, Pyongyang blew up an inter-Korean border office built to improve communications.

Why has Kim Jong Un now decided to make peace with Seoul? There are several reasons to consider. Seoul's President Moon tried to open the door for talks when he called on the two sides to discuss the official end of the Korean War at the UN General Assembly. 

The North Korean economy is in trouble. So Mr. Kim will try to relax sanctions. But that fell through, and the Covid-19 border closure exacerbated an already dire situation. The clock is ticking too. The presidential election in South Korea is near. At least, Mr. Kim knows who he is dealing with and knows that President Moon prefers engagement.

Analysts have also believed for years that Pyongyang wants to separate Washington and Seoul. So showing a willingness to talk to South Korea but not the United States could be a hoax.

Or North Korea can hope that its new friends in Seoul will go to Washington to demand the easing of sanctions and other concessions on their behalf. So what's next? As two different analysts told me earlier this week, we could be busy on the peninsula.