ID :
50741
Mon, 03/16/2009 - 14:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/50741
The shortlink copeid
Seoul mulls steps to prevent disruption of Kaesong complex
By Byun Duk-kun
SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's government is considering a number of
options to ensure travel safety for South Korean workers at an inter-Korean
industrial complex in the North, an official said Monday, indicating one of the
measures could include a temporary shutdown of the joint complex.
The remarks came shortly after North Korea partially reopened the border to allow
hundreds of workers at the Kaesong complex to return South after being stranded
in the communist nation for three days following the border closure last Friday.
"We need to make sure there will never be a repeat of such an incident in the
future," an official from the presidential office said, adding the government is
now considering "several" measures to prevent a similar recurrence.
The official did not offer details on the measures, but noted that the safety of
South Korean workers at Kaesong was of the utmost priority.
About 720 South Koreans were stranded in the Kaesong complex over the weekend.
Cross-border travels were jeopardized after Pyongyang severed the last remaining
military communications line last week, forcing Seoul to rely on hand-delivered
requests and approvals for trips to and from Kaesong.
The official from the presidential office noted the measures could include talks
with the North's military, which the government believes could be behind the
recent closure of the border as it has been most critical of Seoul's Lee
Myung-bak administration.
Others say that possibility is slim as President Lee has repeatedly refused to
submit to North Korean threats.
Another option could be a temporary shutdown of the Kaesong complex until
inter-Korean relations improve or until North Korea promises not to repeat such
an incident, according to an official.
"There could be businesses that want to pull out of Kaesong if the situation
worsens to a point where they can no longer operate there," the official said,
asking not to be identified.
A monument to a 2000 summit between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the Kaesong complex houses over 90 South Korean
businesses that employ over 36,000 North Koreans.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, March 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's government is considering a number of
options to ensure travel safety for South Korean workers at an inter-Korean
industrial complex in the North, an official said Monday, indicating one of the
measures could include a temporary shutdown of the joint complex.
The remarks came shortly after North Korea partially reopened the border to allow
hundreds of workers at the Kaesong complex to return South after being stranded
in the communist nation for three days following the border closure last Friday.
"We need to make sure there will never be a repeat of such an incident in the
future," an official from the presidential office said, adding the government is
now considering "several" measures to prevent a similar recurrence.
The official did not offer details on the measures, but noted that the safety of
South Korean workers at Kaesong was of the utmost priority.
About 720 South Koreans were stranded in the Kaesong complex over the weekend.
Cross-border travels were jeopardized after Pyongyang severed the last remaining
military communications line last week, forcing Seoul to rely on hand-delivered
requests and approvals for trips to and from Kaesong.
The official from the presidential office noted the measures could include talks
with the North's military, which the government believes could be behind the
recent closure of the border as it has been most critical of Seoul's Lee
Myung-bak administration.
Others say that possibility is slim as President Lee has repeatedly refused to
submit to North Korean threats.
Another option could be a temporary shutdown of the Kaesong complex until
inter-Korean relations improve or until North Korea promises not to repeat such
an incident, according to an official.
"There could be businesses that want to pull out of Kaesong if the situation
worsens to a point where they can no longer operate there," the official said,
asking not to be identified.
A monument to a 2000 summit between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the Kaesong complex houses over 90 South Korean
businesses that employ over 36,000 North Koreans.
bdk@yna.co.kr
(END)
