Current 'freeze' in inter-Korean relations may continue for some time: spy agency

SEOUL, April 15 (Yonhap) -- The current "freeze" in South-North Korean relations may last for some time, the country's spy agency told lawmakers on Wednesday.

The National Intelligence Service (NIS) told lawmakers in a closed-door session
that South Korea needs to prepare for ongoing difficulties in dealing with the
communist country.
"The intelligence service thinks the current impasse may last longer than
previously anticipated," Rep. Chung Chin-sup told reporters after the meeting.
The session was held to inform the National Assembly of the latest developments
taking place in the North after it launched its long-range rocket on April 5.
On the rocket launch, the NIS said Pyongyang seems to have extended the range and
there may have been some advances in technology.
The spy agency informed lawmakers that while there were concerns about the future
of running the Kaesong Industrial Complex, it pointed out that President Lee
Myung-bak opposed closing down operations. The complex is considered the crowning
achievement of inter-Korean cooperation.
Intelligence officers said that the problems facing companies in Kaesong were the
result of an overall downturn in the national economy brought on by the global
economic slump.
They, meanwhile, said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's health issue has not
affected his control of the country. The leader may have suffered a stroke last
year causing him to vanish from state-controlled media for several months.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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