South Korea suspends operations at joint factory park with North Korea
World
South Korea suspends operations at joint factory park with North Korea
South Korea plans to pull out of an industrial complex jointly run with North Korea, a parliamentary official said, a move which would shutter one of the last remaining symbols of cooperation between the estranged countries. The move is in response to the Kim Jong Un regime’s recent nuclear test and rocket launch, said the official. The government in Seoul will set up a task force to ensure the safe return of South Korean workers from the Kaesong Industrial Complex, and provide financial compensation to the companies, the official said. The withdrawal would end operations at a complex that has produced more than $3.1 billion of goods since 2005.
We are not going to be able to crack North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs by sticking to the same kind of response we have taken all along.
South Korean Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo
The announcement came as Japan announced fresh sanctions against North Korea on Wednesday for its latest rocket launch, including a total ban on shipping from the country and barring Pyongyang’s nationals from entering. The UN Security Council strongly condemned Sunday’s rocket launch and agreed to move quickly to impose new sanctions of its own.
