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GAESEONG, North Korea ― The two Koreas failed again to agree on reopening their joint industrial park in Gaeseong during a third round of talks in the North Korean border city Monday.
The two sides ended the meeting without a breakthrough, setting the next meeting for Wednesday.
Seoul repeated its demand for a guarantee from Pyongyang against a future suspension before its normalization.
The North called for its reopening without any preconditions but offered a revised draft agreement.
“During the talks the two sides exchanged views on each other’s drafts and there were differences in their positions,” the South’s new lead delegate Kim Ki-woong told reporters after the meeting.
“We are not in a situation where I can say that the two sides have narrowed their gap on a certain issue. The two sides sufficiently expanded on their own stances for a future-oriented normalization, based on which we will continue discussions,” said Kim, director-general of inter-Korean cooperation district support at the Unification Ministry.
During the talks, Kim demanded assurances from Pyongyang that it would not shut down the estate unilaterally and legal and institutional measures to safeguard South Koreans’ safety, investments and assets.
He emphasized the conditions as key to attracting investment and turning the industrial park into an international factory zone.
The talks followed the first official inter-Korean governmental dialogue in years at the border village of Panmunjeom on July 6, during which the two sides tentatively agreed to reopen the district “when ready.”
Their second round of negotiations on July 10 ended with no compromise, following disputes over who was to blame for the park’s unprecedented stoppage and how to avert a relapse.
Seoul has been urging its erratic neighbor to accept responsibility for its unilateral entry ban and develop measures to secure easy passage, communications and customs.
Pyongyang, in contrast, called for activity at the complex to be resumed as soon as possible, warning against “the whole activities impeding its normalization.”
The North’s team was led by Park Chol-su, vice director of the North’s General Bureau of the Special Zone Development Guidance.
The North notified a change in one of its three delegates just an hour before the talks began at 10 a.m., from Huh Yong-ho to Hwang Chung-song, an official at a committee responsible for inter-Korean economic cooperation.
For its part, Seoul appointed Kim last Saturday as its new delegation head, replacing Suh Ho who is expected to become the next spokesperson.
When Kim expressed concerns about the ongoing rainy spell on the peninsula in opening remarks, Park countered by saying that “the rain can be interpreted in various ways according to the results of today’s talks.”
“It can be a blessing for the future if the results would make a great contribution, or otherwise it could be a one-time event,” Park added.
By Shin Hyon-hee and Joint Press Corps
(heeshin@heraldcorp.com)
The two sides ended the meeting without a breakthrough, setting the next meeting for Wednesday.
Seoul repeated its demand for a guarantee from Pyongyang against a future suspension before its normalization.
The North called for its reopening without any preconditions but offered a revised draft agreement.
“During the talks the two sides exchanged views on each other’s drafts and there were differences in their positions,” the South’s new lead delegate Kim Ki-woong told reporters after the meeting.
“We are not in a situation where I can say that the two sides have narrowed their gap on a certain issue. The two sides sufficiently expanded on their own stances for a future-oriented normalization, based on which we will continue discussions,” said Kim, director-general of inter-Korean cooperation district support at the Unification Ministry.
During the talks, Kim demanded assurances from Pyongyang that it would not shut down the estate unilaterally and legal and institutional measures to safeguard South Koreans’ safety, investments and assets.
He emphasized the conditions as key to attracting investment and turning the industrial park into an international factory zone.
The talks followed the first official inter-Korean governmental dialogue in years at the border village of Panmunjeom on July 6, during which the two sides tentatively agreed to reopen the district “when ready.”
Their second round of negotiations on July 10 ended with no compromise, following disputes over who was to blame for the park’s unprecedented stoppage and how to avert a relapse.
Seoul has been urging its erratic neighbor to accept responsibility for its unilateral entry ban and develop measures to secure easy passage, communications and customs.
Pyongyang, in contrast, called for activity at the complex to be resumed as soon as possible, warning against “the whole activities impeding its normalization.”
The North’s team was led by Park Chol-su, vice director of the North’s General Bureau of the Special Zone Development Guidance.
The North notified a change in one of its three delegates just an hour before the talks began at 10 a.m., from Huh Yong-ho to Hwang Chung-song, an official at a committee responsible for inter-Korean economic cooperation.
For its part, Seoul appointed Kim last Saturday as its new delegation head, replacing Suh Ho who is expected to become the next spokesperson.
When Kim expressed concerns about the ongoing rainy spell on the peninsula in opening remarks, Park countered by saying that “the rain can be interpreted in various ways according to the results of today’s talks.”
“It can be a blessing for the future if the results would make a great contribution, or otherwise it could be a one-time event,” Park added.
By Shin Hyon-hee and Joint Press Corps
(heeshin@heraldcorp.com)
