Koreas agree to meet again Feb. 1 over joint factory park

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SEOUL, Jan. 21 (Yonhap) -- North Korea made a last-minute agreement Thursday to a
South Korean proposal for additional talks on improving operations at a joint
industrial park in the communist state, an official said.
The North accepted the South Korean proposal for further talks on Feb. 1 in its
border town of Kaesong, chief South Korean delegate Kim Young-tak said after
returning from the communist state.
"The North Korean side accepted our proposal right before our delegation left
Kaesong, just as we were bidding farewell" Thursday morning, Kim said in a
briefing.
Officials of the divided countries held talks from Tuesday to early Thursday in
Kaesong near the west coast to share suggestions on improving the joint
industrial park there.
Some 110 South Korean firms employ about 42,000 skilled but inexpensive North
Korean workers in Kaesong, one of the most symbolic projects resulting from the
first inter-Korean summit in 2000.
The delegates from the two countries participated in a joint survey of industrial
parks in China and Vietnam last month, leading to this week's talks that served
as a follow-up to the trip.
The Unification Ministry said early Thursday morning the sides failed to agree on
additional talks as the South opposed early negotiations on wage increases for
North Korean workers.
North Korea has long demanded that wages for its workers at the industrial
complex be raised. South Korea says other issues, including easier access to
Kaesong for its workers and housing for North Korean workers, should be
negotiated first.
"Wage increases must be preceded by increases in productivity," Kim said. "We
don't think productivity at Kaesong is up to what we believe it should be."
Kim declined to speculate on whether the North would bring up the issue of wage
increases for its workers when the sides meet again in Kaesong on Feb. 1.
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Dele