Seoul says North's detention of S. Korean worker 'serious'

SEOUL, April 13 (Yonhap) -- Seoul views North Korea's prolonged detention of a
South Korean worker as "serious" and will consider taking action should Pyongyang
continue to refuse access to him, a spokesperson said Monday.

North Korea detained the employee of Hyundai Asan Corp. on March 30 in the border
town of Kaesong, where a joint industrial complex developed by the South Korean
company is located.
"Our government considers North Korea's prolonged inquiry into our worker a
serious situation," Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo told reporters.
She called the detention "very unjust" and "inhumane" and warned that Seoul "will
consider taking various measures" should no progress be made towards securing his
release.
Notifying Seoul of the detention, North Korean authorities claimed the worker had
denounced Pyongyang's political regime and tried to tempt a female North Korean
employee into defecting.
Seoul officials have not been able to confirm the charges as the North has
ignored repeated fax messages calling for access to the as yet unidentified
employee, an engineer with Hyundai Asan. The spokeswoman did not say what
measures could be taken, amid concerns that Seoul has few options available for
pressuring Pyongyang.
Hyundai Asan President Cho Kun-shik has made daily visits to the Kaesong complex,
about an hour's drive from Seoul, to pressure North Korea into granting access to
the employee.
Seoul officials say the detained worker should not remain isolated and that he
has the right to be represented by an attorney under inter-Korean accords on
joint economic ventures. The accords guarantee "basic rights" for South Korean
workers detained by the North.
North Korean officials said they were abiding by the agreements and ensured the
safety of the worker during meetings with the Hyundai chief last week, but
insisted there was no stipulation in the accords allowing for direct access to
detained individuals.
Under the accords, North Korea can question South Korean workers or tourists who
violate its laws while on North Korean soil. If the charges are proven, violators
can be punished with a verbal warning, a fine or by expulsion, but cannot be
tried within the country.
The Kaesong complex opened as a major inter-Korean economic project following the
first summit between leaders of the two sides in 2000, though operations have
been increasingly threatened by worsening political relations since last year. In
the latest instance, North Korea twice prohibited visits by South Koreans to the
complex for up to several days after it shut the inter-Korean border in protest
over a South Korea-U.S. military drill.
Currently, over 100 small garment and other labor-intensive South Korean firms
are operating with about 39,000 North Korean employees.
Hyundai Asan, a unit of Hyundai Group, developed the complex as part of its
economic ventures in North Korea. Its other ventures with Pyongyang -- tour
programs to Kaesong, an ancient capital, and the scenic Mount Kumgang resort --
were suspended last year due to worsening relations.
The North is also preparing to indict two U.S. journalists being held on charges
of illegal entry and unspecified "hostile acts."
hkim@yna.co.kr
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