ID :
29249
Sun, 11/09/2008 - 11:01
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/29249
The shortlink copeid
(News Focus) N. Korean military said to mull closure of Kaesong industrial park
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- After years of inter-Korean reconciliation efforts and economic cooperation, a multi-billion-dollar joint industrial project in the North Korean border city of Kaesong appears to hang in balance due to soured relations between Seoul and the communist state, officials and analysts warned
Sunday.
The warning came three days after a group of North Korean military personnel made
an unusual trip to the Kaesong industrial park, during which they reportedly
asked how long it would take for South Korean businesses to pull out of the
complex.
Some 70 South Korean businesses are currently operating at the Kaesong complex, a
symbol of reconciliation between the two Koreas that followed a historic summit
between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim
Jong-il in 2000.
Over 30,000 North Koreans were working for those South Korean companies as of the
end of last month. That number is expected to nearly double next year when an
additional 50 South Korean firms are set to move in.
Pyongyang, however, has recently been threatening to shut down the mutually
beneficial complex, citing what it claims to be the conservative South Korean
government's failure to crack down on anti-communist campaigns by Seoul
activists.
North Korea last month proposed two rounds of military talks with South Korea, at
both of which it accused the Seoul government of spreading anti-communist
leaflets throughout its country.
The communist nation also said economic cooperation projects between the two
Koreas, including the Kaesong complex, will face serious consequences if Seoul
fails to take immediate steps to stop the spread of the leaflets.
Seoul has no legal authority to stop the leaflets, which are being are sent by
civic organizations whose members often include North Korean defectors and family
members of South Koreans kidnapped by the North.
During their visit to the Kaesong complex on Thursday, one of the North Korean
inspectors was quoted as saying a decision has already been made on the fate of
the joint industrial complex and it is "therefore not necessary to discuss it any
further."
Still, officials here said it was unlikely that North Korea would actually shut
down the complex, which brings the cash-strapped state millions of dollars
annually.
"The fact that North Korea staged what you can call a demonstration of its
threats rather than actually shutting it down shows that the industrial complex
remains an important business that North Korea cannot afford to lose," an
official said, asking not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Others said North Korea may also be discouraged from scrapping the inter-Korean
project as it may affect its relations with the incoming U.S. administration of
Barack Obama.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- After years of inter-Korean reconciliation efforts and economic cooperation, a multi-billion-dollar joint industrial project in the North Korean border city of Kaesong appears to hang in balance due to soured relations between Seoul and the communist state, officials and analysts warned
Sunday.
The warning came three days after a group of North Korean military personnel made
an unusual trip to the Kaesong industrial park, during which they reportedly
asked how long it would take for South Korean businesses to pull out of the
complex.
Some 70 South Korean businesses are currently operating at the Kaesong complex, a
symbol of reconciliation between the two Koreas that followed a historic summit
between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim
Jong-il in 2000.
Over 30,000 North Koreans were working for those South Korean companies as of the
end of last month. That number is expected to nearly double next year when an
additional 50 South Korean firms are set to move in.
Pyongyang, however, has recently been threatening to shut down the mutually
beneficial complex, citing what it claims to be the conservative South Korean
government's failure to crack down on anti-communist campaigns by Seoul
activists.
North Korea last month proposed two rounds of military talks with South Korea, at
both of which it accused the Seoul government of spreading anti-communist
leaflets throughout its country.
The communist nation also said economic cooperation projects between the two
Koreas, including the Kaesong complex, will face serious consequences if Seoul
fails to take immediate steps to stop the spread of the leaflets.
Seoul has no legal authority to stop the leaflets, which are being are sent by
civic organizations whose members often include North Korean defectors and family
members of South Koreans kidnapped by the North.
During their visit to the Kaesong complex on Thursday, one of the North Korean
inspectors was quoted as saying a decision has already been made on the fate of
the joint industrial complex and it is "therefore not necessary to discuss it any
further."
Still, officials here said it was unlikely that North Korea would actually shut
down the complex, which brings the cash-strapped state millions of dollars
annually.
"The fact that North Korea staged what you can call a demonstration of its
threats rather than actually shutting it down shows that the industrial complex
remains an important business that North Korea cannot afford to lose," an
official said, asking not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Others said North Korea may also be discouraged from scrapping the inter-Korean
project as it may affect its relations with the incoming U.S. administration of
Barack Obama.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
