US fully understands, supports Seoul's decision to withdraw from Gaesong

South Korea's foreign ministry said Sunday that the United States fully understands and supports the country's decision to withdraw all of its personnel from the inter-Korean industrial complex after no progress was made to negotiate an end to the stalemate regarding the halt of all business operations.

It said Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, who met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns the day before, explained developments leading up to the pull-out of South Korean workers from the Gaesong Industrial Complex located just north of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates the two countries.

The ministry said Burns responded by saying Washington backs Seoul's position on the matter, which has contributed to increased tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The Unification Ministry announced on Friday that all remaining personnel at Gaesong will be pulled back. A total of 126 people crossed the DMZ on Saturday with the remaining 50 to return home on Monday.

Pyongyang, which fueled tensions by detonating its third nuclear device on Feb. 12, further strained relations with the South by announcing on April 3 that it will ban the inflow of South Koreans and cargo into Gaesong. This was followed six days later by the withdrawal of all 53,000 North Korean laborers hired by the 123 factories at Gaesong, which effectively halted all production at the site that first started making products in late 2004.

The foreign ministry said Yun and Burns agreed to work closely to track developments taking place in the North and strengthen cooperation with other interested countries in Northeast Asia.

It also said the two men expressed satisfaction that high-level strategic talks have taken place between Seoul and Beijing as well as between U.S. and China on the North Korean issue.

Besides North Korea and Gaesong, the ministry said Burns expressed reservations about comments made by Japanese politicians who in recent days stirred resentment in other Asian countries for their views on past historic events.

"The U.S. official said comments by Japanese politicians are a source of concern, because they adversely affect cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, and are not good for regional stability," an official, who declined to be identified, said. He said that the U.S. seems to view inflammatory comments that try to whitewash Japanese atrocities before and during World War 2, as not only affecting South Korean-Japanese relations, but the United States as well.

Moreover, Yun and Burns reached consensus on the need to move forward with the Northeast Asia peace cooperation initiative that is being pursued by Seoul. The goal of the initiative is to build trust among countries.

The ministry said the two countries were in agreement to work closely to exchange views on the initiative.

Burns, who is on a five-country trip through Asia, left Seoul for Mongolia earlier in the day.