ID :
36429
Fri, 12/19/2008 - 06:05
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/36429
The shortlink copeid
N. Korean military official says South-North relations in 'serious' state
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean military official said Thursday that the chill in Seoul-Pyongyang relations is in "a serious" state as he made a rare inspection of the joint industrial complex in the North's border town Kaesong, a Seoul spokesman said.
Lt. Gen. Kim Yong-chol, head of the policy planning office of the North's
National Defense Commission, returned to Pyongyang after visiting South Korean
executives and their plants in Kaesong, said the Unification Ministry spokesman,
Kim Ho-nyoun.
"North-South relations are frozen at this moment. It's a serious situation," the
North Korean official was quoted as saying.
North Korea evicted hundreds of South Koreans at the Kaesong complex, cut border
traffic and suspended tours to its mountain resort as of Dec. 1, following months
of strained relations. Pyongyang blames South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who
adopted a tougher policy toward it than his liberal predecessors, demanding
concrete denuclearization by Pyongyang and more reciprocity for Seoul's aid.
Relations dramatically chilled after the shooting death of a South Korean tourist
near the Mount Kumgang resort in July. Pyongyang refused to allow entry by South
Korean investigators.
The military official demanded Seoul reverse its course.
"If there's no change of attitude by the South, current measures will not be
lifted," he said during his two-day tour of Kaesong.
The official's inspection sparked speculation that Pyongyang may be considering
further sanctions on Kaesong after the Dec. 1 measure. He made a similar survey
of Kaesong on Nov. 6, about a week before cutting the number of South Koreans
allowed there to half.
But the ministry spokesman ruled out fresh sanctions.
"The atmosphere was better, compared to the previous visit," the spokesman said,
"Our assumption is that he was visiting to see how the situation has changed
after the measure was taken and to make plans for the next year, rather than to
prepare for new sanctions."
Kim mostly asked the South Koreans about their details about their businesses,
such as output and wages for North Korean employees.
"The working conditions are not good," he was quoted as saying. "To increase
output, living conditions (for workers) should first be guaranteed," he said, in
an apparent call for more cash from the South.
The Kaesong industrial complex opened in 2004, joining South Korean capital and
technology with North Korean labor to produce shoes, clothes, kitchenware and
watches. There are currently 88 South Korean companies employing around 36,000
North Koreans in Kaesong. A North Korean worker is paid US$60-$80 a month on
average.
SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean military official said Thursday that the chill in Seoul-Pyongyang relations is in "a serious" state as he made a rare inspection of the joint industrial complex in the North's border town Kaesong, a Seoul spokesman said.
Lt. Gen. Kim Yong-chol, head of the policy planning office of the North's
National Defense Commission, returned to Pyongyang after visiting South Korean
executives and their plants in Kaesong, said the Unification Ministry spokesman,
Kim Ho-nyoun.
"North-South relations are frozen at this moment. It's a serious situation," the
North Korean official was quoted as saying.
North Korea evicted hundreds of South Koreans at the Kaesong complex, cut border
traffic and suspended tours to its mountain resort as of Dec. 1, following months
of strained relations. Pyongyang blames South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who
adopted a tougher policy toward it than his liberal predecessors, demanding
concrete denuclearization by Pyongyang and more reciprocity for Seoul's aid.
Relations dramatically chilled after the shooting death of a South Korean tourist
near the Mount Kumgang resort in July. Pyongyang refused to allow entry by South
Korean investigators.
The military official demanded Seoul reverse its course.
"If there's no change of attitude by the South, current measures will not be
lifted," he said during his two-day tour of Kaesong.
The official's inspection sparked speculation that Pyongyang may be considering
further sanctions on Kaesong after the Dec. 1 measure. He made a similar survey
of Kaesong on Nov. 6, about a week before cutting the number of South Koreans
allowed there to half.
But the ministry spokesman ruled out fresh sanctions.
"The atmosphere was better, compared to the previous visit," the spokesman said,
"Our assumption is that he was visiting to see how the situation has changed
after the measure was taken and to make plans for the next year, rather than to
prepare for new sanctions."
Kim mostly asked the South Koreans about their details about their businesses,
such as output and wages for North Korean employees.
"The working conditions are not good," he was quoted as saying. "To increase
output, living conditions (for workers) should first be guaranteed," he said, in
an apparent call for more cash from the South.
The Kaesong industrial complex opened in 2004, joining South Korean capital and
technology with North Korean labor to produce shoes, clothes, kitchenware and
watches. There are currently 88 South Korean companies employing around 36,000
North Koreans in Kaesong. A North Korean worker is paid US$60-$80 a month on
average.
