Koreas end joint factory talks without agreement

Seoul, June 26 (IANS) South Korea and North Korea Thursday wrapped up without any agreement their first talks in six months about the inter-Korean factory park in Kaesong, North Korea's border town.

The joint inter-Korean management meeting for the Kaesong industrial complex was held in Kaesong, some 10 km north of the military demarcation line between the two countries, for about seven hours from 10 a.m., Xinhua reported.

The two sides agreed last year to hold such a meeting every quarter, but it has been halted since December 2013 amid tensions on the Korean peninsula following the joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States in February.

During the dialogue, the South Korean delegation raised issues on the full-scale operation of electronic passage system and the introduction of internet connectivity in the joint industrial zone.

Without giving any detailed response to the issues, the North side took note of wages for North Korean people working for South Korean companies in the Kaesong factory park, chief South Korean delegate Lee Kang-woo told a press briefing after the talks.

The North Korean delegation urged South Korea to lift the so-called "May 24 sanctions" imposed by Seoul in 2010 as punishment for the deadly sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan, for which Pyongyang repeatedly denied its responsibility.

The two Koreas have test-run the electronic passage system via radio frequency identification (RFID) since January. South Korea aimed to operate the system constantly.

Seoul has also called for early introduction of internet connectivity at the joint factory park.

The electronic passage system will allow South Korean workers to visit the Kaesong industrial complex and return home at any time on days when they are permitted to visit the site.

Currently, South Korea should fax a list of workers to North Korea - a day before their trip to the joint industrial zone. North Korea has allowed only those on the list to travel to the zone during a designated time.

The Kaesong industrial complex, the last remaining symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation, is home to 120 South Korean small companies that produce mostly labour-intensive products such as shoes and garments.