Seoul urges NK to resume talks

By Chung Min-uck

Seoul called on North Korea to accept talks to arrange for the return of finished goods, along with raw and subsidiary materials, from the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, Wednesday.

The Ministry of Unification, a day earlier, proposed working-level talks with North Korea aimed at alleviating the plight of 123 South Korean companies that were forced out of the inter-Korean joint venture complex.

Operations of the companies came to a halt early last month after Pyongyang pulled out all of its 53,000 laborers from the complex.

The latest proposal marks the third time that Seoul has urged engagement to normalize the complex.

“Taking into account the many changes that have occurred in the past few months, Seoul hopes that the North will respond to the proposal,” said Park Soo-jin, the ministry’s spokeswoman, at a news briefing. “What is most important at present is for the North to come to the negotiating table as a responsible member of the international community.”

The official, however, says the North has yet to reply to the call for talks.

She also added that President Park Geun-hye’s remarks at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting to engage with North indicate how much weight is given to the issue.

Meanwhile, North Korea on Wednesday slammed the “Seoul process” advocated by President Park as absurd because it fails to comprehend the crisis conditions on the Korean Peninsula.

The Uriminzokkiri, North Korea’s propaganda Web site, said the Seoul process, or the Northeast Asian process and cooperation initiative, completely overlooks the possibility of nuclear war facing South Korea.

“Talking about greater Northeast Asian issues and environmental protection issues while the South is living under the fire of countless nuclear time bombs is utterly childish,” the media outlet said.

Park outlined the initiative in a speech delivered at a joint session of the U.S. Congress last week, during her first overseas visit after taking office as president earlier in the year. The process calls for the creation of a more peaceful and harmonious region to be unburdened by historic and territorial tensions and able to move forward.