By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
South Korea expressed its willingness to seek dialogue with North Korea Sunday, sending a signal that it is reviewing a couple of options that can help bring the North back to the negotiation table to break the stalemate in an industrial park project.
A government source, meanwhile, hinted that the South is also preparing for the worst-case scenario, a shutdown of the joint Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North.
The move came two days after Pyongyang unilaterally announced last Friday the nullification of all contracts regarding the complex it signed with Seoul.
``There has been no change in the South's position to resolve the issues related to the industrial complex through dialogue. If the North proposes another date for inter-Korean talks, there is no reason for us to reject it,'' a high-ranking government official said.
He said on condition of anonymity that Seoul was working through the so-called Gaeseong channel in an effort to make negotiations work.
According to him, the South is calling on the North either to participate in talks today or to set another date for a meeting through the channel based in the enclave.
Seoul proposed the two sides meet for talks after handing over a list of South Korean officials who would be participating in negotiations with the North. Pyongyang has received the list, but has yet to respond.
The working-level talks last Friday ended after the North issued a one-sided notification to the South.
It announced the canceling of all contracts signed with Seoul on rent, salaries and taxes at the complex and asked companies there to vacate the industrial park unless they honor new regulations set by the North.
The announcement came after North Korea refused to deal with the release of a South Korean worker, who it has held for the past 49 days, in the negotiations.
The United States called the North's move ``a precipitous action'' that would be unhelpful.
``We have seen reports that North Korea may cancel the contracts at the industrial complex. Such a precipitous action would be unhelpful and a step in the wrong direction. The U.S. supports dialogue between North Korea and South Korea, which is in the interests of all concerned,'' State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.
A government source said on condition of anonymity that he could not rule out the possibility of the North shutting down the enclave in the long run.
``Given the context and attitude seen from the notification letter on Friday, the North is likely to take a set of measures that will ultimately lead to a shutdown of the enclave. But it shouldn't be now,'' he said.
As part of a strategy to deal with the possible closure of the industrial park, the government is reportedly reviewing ways of compensating for business losses at over 100 companies operating there when and if the enclave is closed.
Experts say one of the options the government could take would be to compensate those businesses through the inter-Korean fund run by the unification ministry.
But the source denied this, saying the government has not considered that option.