Asia-Pacific

DPRK: ROK obstructs future of Kaesong Industrial Zone

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-03-03 19:19

PYONGYANG - A senior official of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said South Korea's hostile policy would not only harm the inter-Korean relations but also obstruct the future of Kaesong Industrial Zone, the official KCNA news agency reported Wednesday.

The South Korean authorities are getting hell-bent on doing harm to the DPRK by intentionally escalating military tensions, for example, to stage Key Resolve and Foal Eagle joint military drills with the United States, said Colonel Ri Son Gwon, head of the DPRK delegation at the inter-Korean working-level military talks.

South Korea has recently driven the inter-Korean relations to a "catastrophic phase" and obstructed military guarantee for passage, communications and customs clearance for resuming the Kaesong Industrial Zone, said Ri.

If the South Korean authorities finally stage the exercises, the situation on the Korean Peninsula will be "uncontrollable," he said, warning that the DPRK will "mercilessly wipe out all hostile forces by force of arms."

The working-level contact between the DPRK and South Korea ended late Tuesday with no breakthrough on easing border restrictions and improving logistics at the joint industrial park in Kaesong, South Korean media reported.

The DPRK and South Korea held a working-level meeting on development issues of the joint industrial complex in Kaesong on February 1, but failed to achieve substantial results due to huge differences between the two sides on issues related to passage, communications and customs clearance and wages of workers there.

Another working-level meeting on resuming cross-border tours on February 8 also ended with no agreement.

The Kaesong industrial complex, widely viewed as one of the key symbols of economic cooperation between the two sides, is currently the base to 116 South Korean companies, employing about 42,000 DPRK workers.