President Lee calls for release of S. Korean detained at Kaesong

SEOUL, April 7 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Myung-bak on Tuesday urged Pyongyang release a South Korean worker being held at a joint industrial complex in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, saying the government will work with the international community to pressure the communist nation if necessary.

The South Korean worker has been detained since Monday last week following an
accusation from North Korean officials that he criticized the Pyongyang regime
and tried to tempt a female North Korean employee at Kaesong to defect.
"His employer must ask the North Korean side more actively (for his release), and
the government needs to work with the international community if necessary to
resolve the issue at an early date," the president was quoted as telling a
Cabinet meeting.
The detained worker, whose identity was being withheld by the government for
safety and privacy reasons, is an employee of Hyundai Asan, a business arm of
Hyundai Group that overseas major economic projects with the North.
Pyongyang has rejected all requests by company and government officials to meet
with the detained worker, responding only with assurances that he is in good
health.
Under an inter-Korean accord that governs the joint industrial complex project,
North Korea can fine or expel South Koreans violating its own law after an
investigation but cannot try them in its territory.
North Korean officials have cited an ongoing investigation as the reason for the
prolonged detention.
The president's remarks came two days after the communist nation launched a
long-range rocket in the face of repeated international warnings.
Lee noted South Korean citizens were reacting "calmly," and told his ministers to
make sure the launch does not have any impact on the daily lives of the citizens
or the economy.