The two Koreas reached the decision to reconnect inter-Korean hotlines through mutual agreement, not due to a unilateral request from the DPRK, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification (MOU) said Wednesday, refuting a claim made by the country’s intelligence chief the previous day.

Park Jie-won, the head of National Intelligence Services (NIS), reportedly told the National Assembly’s intelligence committee on Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un requested the restoration of the communication channels, which Pyongyang vowed to “cut” in June 2020.