North Korea Isn't Taking South Korea's Calls. What This Could Mean

North Korea has not responded to regularly-held, inter-Korean phone calls for a third consecutive day, elevating tensions on the peninsula and increasing concern about the stability of the region.

South Korean Defense Ministry officials said they reached out to the North through a dedicated military hotline at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m on Sunday but the calls went unanswered. The two Koreas typically hold calls on the link twice a day, every day. Attempts to call on a cross-border liaison channel, which operates on weekdays, were also unanswered on Friday.

Tensions have been rising on the peninsula following North Korea's recent weapons tests, which were seen as a response to joint military drills between South Korea and the US.

North Korean state media reported Saturday that the country staged an underwater detonation test of its "Haeil-2" nuclear-capable attack drone last week. The drone cruised off North Korea's east coast for more than 71 hours before its test warhead was detonated underwater, KCNA said Saturday.

North Korea's lack of response to the daily calls may be a precursor to further military exercises by the regime. In August 2017, North Korea didn't respond to the South's request for military talks a few days before the Pyongyang launched a ballistic missile that flew over Japan.

The inter-Korean hotline was restored in July 2021, after being ignored for about a year by the North in protest against Seoul activists' leaflet campaigns critical of Pyongyang. Daily phone call disruptions, however, have not always resulted in elevated tensions. In June 2022, North Korean did not respond to a regular hotline call, apparently due to technical glitches caused by heavy rains.