N. Korea intensifies control of S. Korean dailies sent to Kaesong

By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has begun to more harshly censor South Korean newspapers subscribed to by firms operating in the inter-Korean Kaesong industrial complex, apparently to prevent workers there from reading reports on their leader Kim Jong-il's health, officials said Monday.

"The North began to allow South Korean dailies to pass through customs only after
cutting out articles critical of the country as of Oct. 20," a Unification
Ministry official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
About 30 copies of nine different papers cross the inter-Korean border every day
for delivery to the Kaesong Industrial District Management Committee in the
complex, a civilian administrative body of South Korean firms there, according to
the official.
The North is strictly enforcing customs regulations barring the entry of overseas
publications critical of Pyongyang, the official said.
It is not known exactly what types of articles have been censored by the North,
but officials say the measure could be related to recent reports that Kim is
ailing.
The 66-year-old North Korean leader reportedly suffered a stroke in mid-August
and is now recovering after undergoing brain surgery.
South Korean newspapers reported in detail speculation on Kim's health and who
might assume power in the event of his death, along with information on Kim's
family.
South Koreans are forbidden to carry the newspapers when they leave the office,
but some have received warnings from North Korean authorities for violating the
rule, according to the Unification Ministry official.
More than 33,000 North Koreans are currently working for 79 South Korean
manufacturing factories in the Kaesong complex.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)