BEIJING, March 2 -- The defense ministries of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) has signed a revised memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the establishment and use of direct communication lines between the air forces and navies of the two countries, said Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense (MND) today.

Tan made the remarks when asked by press to confirm media reports saying the defense ministries of China and ROK has revised the MOU on the establishment and use of direct communication lines between the air forces and navies of the two countries and to give more details of the MOU.

On November 24, 2008, the defense ministries of the two countries signed the memorandum of understanding between the MND of the PRC and the MND of the ROK on the installation and use of direct communication lines between the adjacent navies and air forces of the two countries, Tan said.

This current hotline is the first direct telephone link between the front-line troops of the Chinese military and a foreign military, which has played a positive role in preventing misunderstandings and misjudgments between the Chinese and ROK naval and air forces’ front-line troops and strengthening crisis management and control by the two sides, Tan said.

In recent years, the armed forces of China and the ROK have successively carried out Institutional reforms and organizational changes, thus the relevant contents of the MOU no longer conformed to the actual situation of both parties, Tan noted.

The defense ministries of the two countries had made consultations and agreed to revise the document and formally signed it on March 2, 2021, the spokesperson added.