Presidential office regrets Pyongyang's decision to shut border

By Yoo Cheong-mo

SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, expressed regrets Wednesday at the North Korean military's abrupt decision to close the inter-Korean border next month.

In a message sent to Seoul earlier Wednesday, the North Korean military
threatened to "strictly restrict and cut off all the overland passages" through
the inter-Korean border, starting on Dec. 1, citing "confrontation" from South
Korea and Seoul's failure to abide by the existing inter-Korean summit
agreements.
In response, a senior secretary to President Lee Myung-bak for foreign and
security policy expressed regrets over the North Korean announcement and called
on the communist state to immediately return to dialogue with the South.
"North Korea may have been infuriated by anti-North propaganda leaflets sent by
South Korean civic activists across the border. The (South Korean) government has
repeatedly asked the activists not to do so, but the request has gone unnoticed,"
said the secretary on condition of anonymity.
"We regret North Korea's unilateral move to close the inter-Korean border. We
again urge North Korea to return to dialogue on the government level for
discussion on promoting co-existence and co-prosperity on the Korean Peninsula,"
said the secretary.
He said it is not clear yet whether North Korea means to close the inter-Korean
industrial complex in the North's border city of Kaesong and South Korean tour
program to Kaesong.
"We'll watch more carefully to find out North Korea's real intentions on the
industrial and tourism projects in Kaesong," said the secretary.