Telecom networks between the two countries are joined for the first time Fiber-optic telecommunication cables in North and South Korean were interconnected Monday marking the first time telecom networks between the two countries have been joined.The cables, one in the north belonging to state-run Korea Post and Telecommunications and one in the south belonging to former state-run KT Corp., will be used to provide communication and Internet services between the two nations, said Suzie Nam, a spokeswoman for KT.Korea was split in the 1940s when the country was divided at the 38th parallel in the wake of Japan’s surrender in World War II. The border between the countries is one of the most heavily militarized frontiers in the world and direct links of any kind remain limited. However, the “sunshine policy” of former South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung has meant more contact between the two countries in recent years. Related to the slowly thawing — but still frosty — relations between the two countries is the construction of an industrial zone in the city of Kaesong, which lies a few kilometers north of the border. The industrial zone is intended to be used as a manufacturing base by South Korean companies and it’s this area that the telecommunication link will partly serve.Internet access is restricted in North Korea and the country is served by a relatively small number of international lines so getting good telecommunication links in the industrial zone could have been a problem.Earlier this year KT announced plans to begin a direct-dial telephone between the industrial zone and South Korea. That service is slated to be the first direct telephone link since the country was divided and it was due to begin in late May although it hasn’t yet started, Nam said. Technology Industry