SEOUL, June 19 (Xinhua) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that all communication channels between South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have been severed.

Speaking at a briefing held at the Presidential Office on the outcomes of the Group of Seven Summit and his visits to several European countries, Lee said that inter-Korean emergency hotlines and other communication channels had all been cut off.

"Occasional small-scale clashes still occur, and the situation is not encouraging," Lee said.

He added that despite the current South Korean government's conciliatory policy toward the DPRK, hostile sentiments remain strong, with criticism and confrontational rhetoric widespread. Such circumstances, he said, are likely to persist for a considerable period of time.