SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea plans to lift its decades-long ban on public access to North Korean television, newspapers, and other publications as part of its efforts to promote mutual understanding between the rivals, officials said Friday, despite animosities over the North’s recent missile tests.
Divided along the world’s most heavily fortified border since 1948, the two Koreas prohibit their citizens from visiting each other’s territory and exchanging phone calls, emails, and letters, and they block access to each other’s websites and TV stations.
In a policy report to new President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it will gradually open the door for North Korean broadcasts, media, and publications to try to boost mutual understanding, restore the Korean national identity and prepare for a future unification….