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North Korea Blocks Workers From South at Border North Korea Blocks Workers From South at Border
(35 minutes later)
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea blocked South Koreans on Wednesday from crossing the heavily armed border to a jointly-operated industrial park, raising doubt about the future of the last remaining major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.The move came four days after North Korea threatened to shut down the industrial park, in the North Korean town of Kaesong, out of anger over United Nations sanctions and joint military drills that the United States and South Korea are conducting on the Korean Peninsula.SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea blocked South Koreans on Wednesday from crossing the heavily armed border to a jointly-operated industrial park, raising doubt about the future of the last remaining major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.The move came four days after North Korea threatened to shut down the industrial park, in the North Korean town of Kaesong, out of anger over United Nations sanctions and joint military drills that the United States and South Korea are conducting on the Korean Peninsula.
Over 480 South Koreans — many with their trucks — who showed up at a border crossing on Wednesday morning were denied permission to cross and had to turn around, said the Unification Ministry of South Korea, which is in charge of relations with the North. But North Korea promised to allow 861 South Koreans currently staying in Kaesong to return home if they wished, the ministry said.Of them, 446 had been scheduled to return to the South as part of routine rotations of managers and workers. But with no replacements allowed to arrive, only 46 decided to return home on Wednesday.Officials feared that if the one-way blockade continued, it would asphyxiate the eight-year-old industrial park.The complex, near the western edge of the border of the two Koreas, has been a source of badly needed cash for the North, which has faced heavy global sanctions. It generates more than $92 million a year in wages for 53,400 North Koreans employed by 123 textile and other labor-intensive South Korean factories there.Its fate has been seen as one indicator of how far North Korea may be willing to take its recent threats against South Korea and the United States. The site’s continued operation had been considered one of several signs that North Korea was not going to match its tough talk with actions."This is a very regrettable situation," said Kim Hyung-suk, spokesman of the Unification Ministry. "It threatens the stable operation of the Kaesong industrial park and we urge the North to normalize the travel there immediately."Mr. Kim said the government was consulting the businesses to safeguard the South Korean workers remaining in Kaesong.It was not the first time that North Korea had disrupted the park’s operation. It blocked cross-border traffic three times in 2009, once for three days, out of anger over joint military drills by South Korean and American troops. Hundreds of South Koreans were stranded in Kaesong, and inventories of factory supplies nearly dried up. That blockade was lifted when the military exercises ended.The current U.S.-South Korean military drills are to continue until the end of April.Wednesday’s blockade came a day after North Korea announced plans to restart a reactor at its main nuclear plant in Yongbyon, a step that would revive its ability to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. The reactor was partially dismantled in a short-lived 2007 nuclear disarmament deal with the United States and has since been dormant.The North’s General Department of Atomic Energy also said it would use a uranium-enrichment plant on the site for its weapons program. It had always insisted that the uranium plant was making reactor fuel to generate electricity, although the United States has suggested that the uranium is meant for bombs. More than 480 South Koreans — many with their trucks — who showed up at a border crossing on Wednesday morning were denied permission to cross and had to turn around, said the Unification Ministry of South Korea, which is in charge of relations with the North. But North Korea promised to allow 861 South Koreans currently staying in Kaesong to return home if they wished, the ministry said.
Of them, 446 had been scheduled to return to the South as part of routine rotations of managers and workers. But with no replacements allowed to arrive, only 46 decided to return home on Wednesday.
Officials feared that if the one-way blockade continued, it would asphyxiate the eight-year-old industrial park.
The complex, near the western edge of the border of the two Koreas, has been a source of badly needed cash for the North, which has faced heavy global sanctions. It generates more than $92 million a year in wages for 53,400 North Koreans employed by 123 textile and other labor-intensive South Korean factories there.
Its fate has been seen as one indicator of how far North Korea may be willing to take its recent threats against South Korea and the United States. The site’s continued operation had been considered one of several signs that North Korea was not going to match its tough talk with actions.
"This is a very regrettable situation," said Kim Hyung-suk, spokesman of the Unification Ministry. "It threatens the stable operation of the Kaesong industrial park and we urge the North to normalize the travel there immediately."
Mr. Kim said the government was consulting the businesses to safeguard the South Korean workers remaining in Kaesong.
It was not the first time that North Korea had disrupted the park’s operation. It blocked cross-border traffic three times in 2009, once for three days, out of anger over joint military drills by South Korean and American troops. Hundreds of South Koreans were stranded in Kaesong, and inventories of factory supplies nearly dried up. That blockade was lifted when the military exercises ended.
The current U.S.-South Korean military drills are to continue until the end of April.
Wednesday’s blockade came a day after North Korea announced plans to restart a reactor at its main nuclear plant in Yongbyon, a step that would revive its ability to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons. The reactor was partially dismantled in a short-lived 2007 nuclear disarmament deal with the United States and has since been dormant.
The North’s General Department of Atomic Energy also said it would use a uranium-enrichment plant on the site for its weapons program. It had always insisted that the uranium plant was making reactor fuel to generate electricity, although the United States has suggested that the uranium is meant for bombs.