UN Command Maintains 24-Hour Hotline with North Korea

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The United Nations Command maintains a 24-hour hotline (direct telephone line) with North Korea.

On the 26th, the UN Command stated on Facebook, "Despite the novel coronavirus situation, the UN Command is operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at the Joint Duty Office building located in the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjom."

They added, "The Joint Duty Office, located only about 12 meters away from North Korea, maintains the hotline with the North and prepares for various meetings within Panmunjom," and posted a photo of the building.

The Joint Duty Office building is painted sky blue on the exterior and is two stories tall. It is where the UN Command's joint duty officers, who handle communication with the North Korean joint duty officers stationed at the North Korean Panmungak, work.

A bright pink direct telephone used to communicate with the North Korean military is installed here. The direct telephone, which looks like an "old-fashioned phone" rarely seen nowadays, has gray buttons numbered 1 through 0, with letters written above the numbers.

The UN Command Military Armistice Commission conducts communication checks twice daily with the North Korean military using this phone. As of last year, a total of 130 notifications were exchanged.