Inter-Korean negotiation on Kaesong fails
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| Park Chol-su (left) and Kim Ki-woong, heads of the North and South Korean delegations to working-level talks on the Kaesong Industrial Complex, look past each other as they shake hands at the end of the day’s meetings on Thursday. Photo: english.hani.co.k |
Thursday’s high-level talks between the 2 Koreas on reopening the joint industrial zone of Kaesong concluded without any agreement. As soon as the talks ended, North Korean Chief Negotiator Park Chol-su paid a surprise visit to a press conference in Kaesong and said that if the negotiation with South Korea failed, Pyongyang must deploy military units to Kaesong. He also criticized South Korea for not compromising, thus causing the negotiation deadlock. Park Chol-su said Pyongyang can operate the industrial zone on its own without Seoul’s help. A spokesperson’s for the South Korean Ministry of Unification retaliated by issuing an announcement calling North Korea’s statement about the failed negotiation “extremely regrettable” and suggesting it could lead Kaesong to its “turning point”.