ID :
29837
Wed, 11/12/2008 - 22:07
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/29837
The shortlink copeid
S. Korea expresses regret over N. Korea`s threat to shut border
(ATTN: UPDATES with comments by Unification Ministry spokesman)
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Wednesday expressed regret over North Korea's decision to partially shut their border with the South, saying it would have a negative impact on inter-Korean relations.
"North Korea's announcement that it will take measures to limit passage across
the border is regrettable," Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the Unification Ministry,
said in a statement.
"If the North carries out such measures, it will have a negative impact on
efforts to improve inter-Korean relations," he said.
The spokesman reiterated, however, that Seoul remains hopeful that North Korea
would return to dialogue with Seoul.
Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea's military threatened to "strictly restrict and
cut off" all overland passages through the military demarcation line starting
Dec. 1 in protest over Seoul's "confrontational" policy.
The warning comes as Pyongyang has grown increasingly vocal over South Korean
civic groups' flying of propaganda leaflets over the border.
"The racket of confrontation with the DPRK kicked up by the South Korean puppet
authorities is going beyond the danger level despite its repeated warnings," the
North's military said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korean
Central News Agency.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of
North Korea.
The North indicated in the statement the restriction is only the beginning of a
spate of retaliatory measures that could ultimately lead to the complete severing
of inter-Korean relations.
Seoul "should never forget that present inter-Korean relations are at a crucial
crossroads of existence and total severance," the statement said.
The message was officially issued by Lt. Gen. Kim Yong-chol, the North's top
delegate to the inter-Korean general-level talks. Kim communicated that he was
speaking on behalf of unspecified high-level authorities, likely North Korea's
all- powerful National Defense Commission.
"The South Korean puppet authorities' unchanged position and attitude towards the
two historic declarations has been finally confirmed," Kim said, referring to
what he called Seoul's denial of agreements reached during the inter-Korean
summits of 2000 and 2007.
Hundreds of South Koreans cross the border every day for business or tourism
related purposes despite the chilled relations, according to Seoul officials.
Tightened border control would negatively impact cooperative efforts at the
Kaesong joint industrial complex near the west coast, officials said.
More than 35,000 North Koreans are employed by 83 South Korean manufacturers at
the Kaesong complex, a symbol of inter-Korean peace and cooperation.
Pyongyang has repeatedly threatened to take retaliatory measures, which could
include shutting down the inter-Korean industrial park, unless Seoul prevents
civic groups from flying balloons carrying anti-North leaflets.
The North has called the leaflets -- which reportedly elaborate on North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il's luxurious private life as well as rumors of his illness --
an unpardonable challenge to the North's "supreme sovereignty."
U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials have said the 66-year-old North
Korean leader suffered a stroke in August. The North has vehemently denied those
reports.
South Korean civic groups, many of whose members are North Korean defectors, have
continued to send the leaflets despite Pyongyang's threats and requests from
Seoul to halt their activities.
Last Thursday, a delegation from the North's National Defense Commission
inspected the Kaesong complex in an apparent attempt to pressure Seoul into
making concessions, Seoul officials said.
The North Korean officials reportedly asked the managers of South Korean firms
operating in Kaesong how long it would take for them to fully withdraw.
Pyongyang has called on Seoul to observe the two summit agreements, which include
the creation of dozens of new cross-border economic cooperation projects, though
Seoul insists it has never denied them.
Political relations between the two Koreas have been strained since the
conservative South Korean president Lee Myung-bak took office in late February
and pledged to link inter-Korean relations to the North's nuclear disarmament.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Wednesday expressed regret over North Korea's decision to partially shut their border with the South, saying it would have a negative impact on inter-Korean relations.
"North Korea's announcement that it will take measures to limit passage across
the border is regrettable," Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the Unification Ministry,
said in a statement.
"If the North carries out such measures, it will have a negative impact on
efforts to improve inter-Korean relations," he said.
The spokesman reiterated, however, that Seoul remains hopeful that North Korea
would return to dialogue with Seoul.
Earlier on Wednesday, North Korea's military threatened to "strictly restrict and
cut off" all overland passages through the military demarcation line starting
Dec. 1 in protest over Seoul's "confrontational" policy.
The warning comes as Pyongyang has grown increasingly vocal over South Korean
civic groups' flying of propaganda leaflets over the border.
"The racket of confrontation with the DPRK kicked up by the South Korean puppet
authorities is going beyond the danger level despite its repeated warnings," the
North's military said in a statement carried by Pyongyang's official Korean
Central News Agency.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the official name of
North Korea.
The North indicated in the statement the restriction is only the beginning of a
spate of retaliatory measures that could ultimately lead to the complete severing
of inter-Korean relations.
Seoul "should never forget that present inter-Korean relations are at a crucial
crossroads of existence and total severance," the statement said.
The message was officially issued by Lt. Gen. Kim Yong-chol, the North's top
delegate to the inter-Korean general-level talks. Kim communicated that he was
speaking on behalf of unspecified high-level authorities, likely North Korea's
all- powerful National Defense Commission.
"The South Korean puppet authorities' unchanged position and attitude towards the
two historic declarations has been finally confirmed," Kim said, referring to
what he called Seoul's denial of agreements reached during the inter-Korean
summits of 2000 and 2007.
Hundreds of South Koreans cross the border every day for business or tourism
related purposes despite the chilled relations, according to Seoul officials.
Tightened border control would negatively impact cooperative efforts at the
Kaesong joint industrial complex near the west coast, officials said.
More than 35,000 North Koreans are employed by 83 South Korean manufacturers at
the Kaesong complex, a symbol of inter-Korean peace and cooperation.
Pyongyang has repeatedly threatened to take retaliatory measures, which could
include shutting down the inter-Korean industrial park, unless Seoul prevents
civic groups from flying balloons carrying anti-North leaflets.
The North has called the leaflets -- which reportedly elaborate on North Korean
leader Kim Jong-il's luxurious private life as well as rumors of his illness --
an unpardonable challenge to the North's "supreme sovereignty."
U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials have said the 66-year-old North
Korean leader suffered a stroke in August. The North has vehemently denied those
reports.
South Korean civic groups, many of whose members are North Korean defectors, have
continued to send the leaflets despite Pyongyang's threats and requests from
Seoul to halt their activities.
Last Thursday, a delegation from the North's National Defense Commission
inspected the Kaesong complex in an apparent attempt to pressure Seoul into
making concessions, Seoul officials said.
The North Korean officials reportedly asked the managers of South Korean firms
operating in Kaesong how long it would take for them to fully withdraw.
Pyongyang has called on Seoul to observe the two summit agreements, which include
the creation of dozens of new cross-border economic cooperation projects, though
Seoul insists it has never denied them.
Political relations between the two Koreas have been strained since the
conservative South Korean president Lee Myung-bak took office in late February
and pledged to link inter-Korean relations to the North's nuclear disarmament.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)
