As part of that process, the 15-member committee will also allow specific materials and equipment, such as fiber optic cables, buses, trucks, gasoline, engine oil and transmission fluid, to be used in the restoration of the lines.

Because the North has been subject to numerous rounds of sanctions stemming from its past nuclear and ballistic missile tests, there are tight restrictions on imports from and exports to North Korea. Any sanctions exemptions must be cleared by the committee on a case-by-case basis and approved unanimously.

Last week, South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Cho Tae Yul made the request for restored communications in a letter, which included a list of more than 50 items, addressed to the sanctions committee head. The letter describes the restoration of the lines as a "follow-up measure" to the historic Panmunjeom Declaration that was signed between the top leaders of the two countries at a border meeting on April 27. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to ensure cooperation, exchanges, visits, and contacts and convene military talks.

Federica Mogherini, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the EU will work politically and diplomatically to support the denuclearization on the Korean peninsula. She said there will be no sanctions relief until North Korea denuclearizes.