ID :
59303
Thu, 05/07/2009 - 10:26
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/59303
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea complains as South delays reply over joint park: think tank chief
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has urged the South to quickly respond to its proposal to open negotiations over a joint industrial park, saying otherwise the situation will become "complicated," the head of a state-run think tank said
Wednesday.
Pyongyang sent a three-page document to Seoul on Monday, complaining that Seoul
is procrastinating in responding to its April 21 proposal, said Nam Sung-wook,
director of the Institute for National Security Strategy, an arm of the National
Intelligence Service.
"The tone of the document was, 'All issues will get complicated if the South
doesn't reply quickly,'" Nam said in a local forum on inter-Korean relations in
Seoul.
Nam, a North Korea expert and former advisor to President Lee Myung-bak, did not
elaborate on what the issues could be. Seoul is concerned that a South Korean
worker has been detained in the North for more than five weeks.
The previous talks came at Pyongyang's proposal, the first since Lee took office
in February last year. North Korea complained that wages South Korean firms pay
North Korean employees in the Kaesong park are too low and demanded the two sides
start negotiations.
South Korea has been gauging opinions from the firms over North Korea's demand.
Concerns run high that North Korea may intend not to negotiate, but force Seoul
to either accept its demand or shut down the joint park.
Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the Unification Ministry handling inter-Korean talks,
said, "I am not going to comment" on the reported North Korean proposal.
Kim only said that "discussions are underway" with North Korea on setting the
date of the second round of the talks.
Ministry sources said Seoul may officially reply to Pyongyang on Friday, with an
offer to hold the talks next week.
South Korea's main concern is the Hyundai Asan Corp. employee who was detained in
Kaesong on March 30 on charges of criticizing North Korea's political system.
North Korea refused to discuss the issue, saying the talks are meant to cover
issues relevant solely to the industrial park.
The Kaesong park, just an hour's drive from Seoul, opened in late 2004 as an
outcome of the first inter-Korean summit in 2000 that paved the way for
reconciliatory exchanges. More than 100 South Korean firms operate there,
producing clothes, utensils, electronic equipment and other labor-intensive
products with about 39,000 North Korean workers.
SEOUL, May 6 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has urged the South to quickly respond to its proposal to open negotiations over a joint industrial park, saying otherwise the situation will become "complicated," the head of a state-run think tank said
Wednesday.
Pyongyang sent a three-page document to Seoul on Monday, complaining that Seoul
is procrastinating in responding to its April 21 proposal, said Nam Sung-wook,
director of the Institute for National Security Strategy, an arm of the National
Intelligence Service.
"The tone of the document was, 'All issues will get complicated if the South
doesn't reply quickly,'" Nam said in a local forum on inter-Korean relations in
Seoul.
Nam, a North Korea expert and former advisor to President Lee Myung-bak, did not
elaborate on what the issues could be. Seoul is concerned that a South Korean
worker has been detained in the North for more than five weeks.
The previous talks came at Pyongyang's proposal, the first since Lee took office
in February last year. North Korea complained that wages South Korean firms pay
North Korean employees in the Kaesong park are too low and demanded the two sides
start negotiations.
South Korea has been gauging opinions from the firms over North Korea's demand.
Concerns run high that North Korea may intend not to negotiate, but force Seoul
to either accept its demand or shut down the joint park.
Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the Unification Ministry handling inter-Korean talks,
said, "I am not going to comment" on the reported North Korean proposal.
Kim only said that "discussions are underway" with North Korea on setting the
date of the second round of the talks.
Ministry sources said Seoul may officially reply to Pyongyang on Friday, with an
offer to hold the talks next week.
South Korea's main concern is the Hyundai Asan Corp. employee who was detained in
Kaesong on March 30 on charges of criticizing North Korea's political system.
North Korea refused to discuss the issue, saying the talks are meant to cover
issues relevant solely to the industrial park.
The Kaesong park, just an hour's drive from Seoul, opened in late 2004 as an
outcome of the first inter-Korean summit in 2000 that paved the way for
reconciliatory exchanges. More than 100 South Korean firms operate there,
producing clothes, utensils, electronic equipment and other labor-intensive
products with about 39,000 North Korean workers.
