hankyoreh

Gyeonggi Province

Delegates of North Korea and South Korea discussed the results of their joint inspections of industrial complexes in China and Vietnam (which took place from Dec. 12 to Dec. 22) at Kaesung on Jan. 19. Both groups plan to continue discussions through Jan. 20.

According to Unification Ministy spokesman Chun Hae-sung, the delegates from both countries discussed the issue for 3 hours and 40 minutes starting at 2:10 p.m. Cheon said, “The mood of discussion was sincere, and there was no mention of the North Korean National Defense Commission’s (NDC) statement during the speeches of North Korean delegates.”

It is noteworthy that despite the NDC’s statement on Jan. 15 that mentioned ‘retaliation through a holy war,’ North Korea participated in these discussions with a sincere attitude. This can be interpreted to mean that North Korea plans to at least continue active economic cooperation with South Korea, including the Kaesung Industrial Complex and Mt. Kumgang tourism project. One South Korean government official said, “It is unlikely that the North Korea will maintain only hardline policies against South Korea.”

Chun also said, “The first day of discussions focused on the results of their inspection of foreign industrial complexes.” Chun added, “On the second day, they plan to focus on formulating a strategy for ways in which North Korea and South Korea can develop Kaesung Industrial Complex.”

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