South Korea’s national security chief, who had barely left the presidential compounds in the past three months while on constant duty, recently went home after work in a possible sign that tensions with North Korea have eased somewhat, presidential officials said Tuesday.

Kim Jang-soo, the chief of the national security office, went home after work last Friday for the first time since taking office in late February, the officials said.

Until then, he had slept at lodgings near the presidential office and had most of his meals inside the presidential compounds due to concerns that tensions with North Korea could escalate further.

Since February, North Korea has conducted its third nuclear test, made repeated war threats and shut down an inter-Korean industrial complex in anger over new U.N. sanctions against its regime and U.S.-involved military drills in the South.

Early last week, the communist country launched short-range projectiles into the sea for three consecutive days.

Kim, however, went home on the same day North Korea expressed its willingness to return to the long-suspended six-party talks on ending its nuclear weapons program.

Seoul has demanded Pyongyang show “sincerity” in its call for dialogue. (Yonhap News)