N. Korea detains S. Korean worker for 3rd day with no outside access

SEOUL, April 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korea was holding a South Korean worker for a third day for allegedly denouncing its political system, a Seoul spokesperson said Wednesday, raising concerns his detention may be prolonged.

The North ignored Seoul's repeated calls to allow access to the detained
engineer, who works for Hyundai Asan Corp., a unit of Hyundai Group, at the joint
industrial complex in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, said Unification
Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo.
Officials have not disclosed the man's identity, except to say that he is single
and in his 40s. He was taken into custody on Monday after being accused of
criticizing the communist regime and urging a North Korean female employee to
defect.
"No access has been allowed so far," the spokeswoman said. "The North has told us
nothing other than a notice it sent on the 30th."
In a fax message to the Seoul government on Monday, the North said the detained
worker "denounced the political system of our highly esteemed republic and
schemed to degenerate and spoil our female employee to incite defection."
North Korea is also preparing to indict two U.S. journalists being held on
charges of illegal entry and "hostile acts," stoking concerns that the South
Korean worker may also face trial in the communist country.
But Lee said Pyongyang cannot try South Korean citizens involved in joint
economic ventures, citing inter-Korean accords which say North Korea can only
fine or expel South Koreans violating its law. To take more punitive steps,
Pyongyang needs Seoul's consent, she said.
There have been several cases of South Korean workers and tourists being detained
in the North for violating its laws since inter-Korean ventures picked up
following the landmark summit between the leaders of the two Koreas in 2000. All
of them were released after a brief detention, but the latest incident raises
special concerns as it comes amid frosty relations on the peninsula and just days
ahead of North Korea's planned rocket launch, which could take place as early as
Saturday.
In Kaesong, just an hour's drive from Seoul, 101 small garment and other
labor-intensive South Korean firms are currently operating at the South
Korean-funded industrial complex, which employs some 39,000 North Korean workers.

The Kaesong venture is the only major cross-border project that remains intact
between the two divided Koreas. Other projects, including tours to Mount Kumgang
and historic sites in Kaesong, an ancient Korean capital, have all been
suspended.