By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
South and North Korea have agreed to continue talks on the operation of a joint industrial complex in Gaeseong, on Feb. 1, an official of Seoul's unification ministry said Thursday.
The agreement was made at the end of a two-day meeting at the complex to assess a joint inspection of industrial parks in China and Vietnam last month.
``The North informed us of its wish to continue talks on Feb. 1 right before we left for Seoul,'' South Korea's chief delegate Kim Young-tak told reporters on his return.
The two sides did not coordinate agendas to be discussed in the upcoming meeting.
``We suggested talking about improving problems regarding customs, immigration and telecommunications as well as building a dormitory for North Korean workers,'' Kim said. ``Since the North agreed on the Feb. 1 meeting, I believe it also agreed on the Seoul-proposed agenda.''
However, the secretive state is expected to reiterate its demands that salaries of about 38,000 North Korean workers in the complex be increased, at the upcoming talks.
A day earlier, another ministry official said that North Korea insisted the money issue should be put on the negotiating table in future talks, while South Korea rejected the idea.
Last June, the communist state renewed its demand that salaries be quadrupled from $70-80 to $300 and also asked for $500 million in rent for the 50-year use of the land there.
The North later softened its tone, demanding the salaries be increased by 5 percent.
But Kim clarified that the authorities are not in a position to adjust the salary of workers in the industrial zone.
``Consultations should be made between North Korean authorities and companies at the complex,'' he said.
The North also complained of other issues such as overdue wages and tax delinquency, he added.
The two Koreas have had three rounds of talks to discuss ways to develop the joint industrial complex between last June and July but have failed to reach any agreement.
In a related move, Seoul is considering accepting Pyongyang's proposal to have a separate meeting Jan. 26 and 27 to talk about the resumption of tourism enclaves in the North, a ranking unification ministry official said.
Tours to Mt. Geumgang and Gaeseong, an ancient capital city, have been suspended since last July after a South Korean female was shot dead by a North Korean soldier near the Mt. Geumgang resort.