South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks at a press briefing in Seoul, August 16, 2024. (Photo: Yonhap)

Kim made the call a day after President Yoon Suk Yeol proposed to Pyongyang the establishment of a working-level dialogue channel that can "take up any issue" in an address marking the South’s Liberation Day.

South Korea is open to discussing any topics, including the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, humanitarian issues and inter-Korean exchanges, the minister said.

"To this end, the inter-Korean liaison communication line and the military hotlines that North Korea unilaterally suspended should be resumed," he added.