ID :
36157
Wed, 12/17/2008 - 17:43
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/36157
The shortlink copeid
(3rd LD) N. Korean official blames South in rare inspection of Kaesong complex
(ATTN: UPDATES lead, throughout with ministry spokesman's quotes on N.K. official's visit)
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean defense official said Wednesday that Pyongyang's sanctions on the joint industrial complex in Kaesong are "not temporary," but did not warn of more actions as he made a rare inspection of the inter-Korean zone, Seoul officials said.
Lt. Gen. Kim Yong-chol of the North's National Defense Commission met with about
150 South Korean businessmen operating in Kaesong and inspected some of their
plants, said Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun.
The visit came amid speculation that Pyongyang may impose further sanctions after
expelling hundreds of South Koreans from the industrial complex and curtailing
border traffic as of Dec. 1. Pyongyang has indicated it may shut down the Kaesong
complex if Seoul continues its hardline policy toward the North.
"He made no such remarks, as far as I've confirmed with (South Korean) officials
in Kaesong," the ministry spokesman said, when asked by reporters whether the
North Korean official hinted at additional sanctions.
But the spokesman said Seoul will have to wait until the North Korean official
completes his two-day inspection on Thursday for further details.
South Korea's Lee Myung-bak government adopted a stricter policy toward the North
than its predecessors after taking office in February, demanding concrete
denuclearization by Pyongyang and more reciprocity for Seoul's aid.
Seoul officials were trying to learn whether Kim's visit would be a prelude to
further sanctions or a simple inspection. The official conducted a similar
on-site survey of Kaesong on Nov. 6, about a week before Pyongyang announced the
Dec. 1 measures.
Kim called the Kaesong complex "a good example" of reconciliation and accused
Seoul of being responsible for prompting the sanctions.
"Those measures are not temporary, emotional or symbolic," Kim was quoted by the
spokesman as telling the South Korean businessmen.
"The South says in front that it wants dialogue, but behind, it says
differently," he said. "The Kaesong industrial complex is a good example set by
the Korean people. And around the world, there is no such case in which one
country opens its border region to another."
He will visit more than a dozen South Korean firms in the area to gather data on
how much the number of South Koreans and their cars has decreased following the
implementation of the Dec. 1 measures before returning to Pyongyang, the
spokesman said.
North Korea has reduced the number South Korean officials and managers allowed at
the Kaesong complex by half as part of retaliatory measures against Seoul's
policy.
Amid the tightened controls, several South Korean companies are reportedly
canceling plans to build factories at Kaesong. There are currently 88 South
Korean companies employing around 36,000 North Koreans at the complex.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean defense official said Wednesday that Pyongyang's sanctions on the joint industrial complex in Kaesong are "not temporary," but did not warn of more actions as he made a rare inspection of the inter-Korean zone, Seoul officials said.
Lt. Gen. Kim Yong-chol of the North's National Defense Commission met with about
150 South Korean businessmen operating in Kaesong and inspected some of their
plants, said Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun.
The visit came amid speculation that Pyongyang may impose further sanctions after
expelling hundreds of South Koreans from the industrial complex and curtailing
border traffic as of Dec. 1. Pyongyang has indicated it may shut down the Kaesong
complex if Seoul continues its hardline policy toward the North.
"He made no such remarks, as far as I've confirmed with (South Korean) officials
in Kaesong," the ministry spokesman said, when asked by reporters whether the
North Korean official hinted at additional sanctions.
But the spokesman said Seoul will have to wait until the North Korean official
completes his two-day inspection on Thursday for further details.
South Korea's Lee Myung-bak government adopted a stricter policy toward the North
than its predecessors after taking office in February, demanding concrete
denuclearization by Pyongyang and more reciprocity for Seoul's aid.
Seoul officials were trying to learn whether Kim's visit would be a prelude to
further sanctions or a simple inspection. The official conducted a similar
on-site survey of Kaesong on Nov. 6, about a week before Pyongyang announced the
Dec. 1 measures.
Kim called the Kaesong complex "a good example" of reconciliation and accused
Seoul of being responsible for prompting the sanctions.
"Those measures are not temporary, emotional or symbolic," Kim was quoted by the
spokesman as telling the South Korean businessmen.
"The South says in front that it wants dialogue, but behind, it says
differently," he said. "The Kaesong industrial complex is a good example set by
the Korean people. And around the world, there is no such case in which one
country opens its border region to another."
He will visit more than a dozen South Korean firms in the area to gather data on
how much the number of South Koreans and their cars has decreased following the
implementation of the Dec. 1 measures before returning to Pyongyang, the
spokesman said.
North Korea has reduced the number South Korean officials and managers allowed at
the Kaesong complex by half as part of retaliatory measures against Seoul's
policy.
Amid the tightened controls, several South Korean companies are reportedly
canceling plans to build factories at Kaesong. There are currently 88 South
Korean companies employing around 36,000 North Koreans at the complex.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
