S. Korea to lift ban on North media

Peeking through: A woman looking at the northern side through the barbed wire fence after a rally for peace unification of the Korean peninsula at the Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea. — AP

SEOUL: 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, 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.