hankyoreh

north of Seoul

The South Korean government said on Tuesday that it would resume some halted construction projects at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, softening its measures aganist North Korea announced on May 24 following the sinking of the Cheonan last year.

The announcement by the Unification Ministry comes after South Korean leaders recently called for more flexible policies toward North Korea. The government approved the resumption of stalled factory projects by seven South Korean companies and is considering allowing five other companies to resume factory expansions, the ministry said. It will restart the construction of a fire station and a medical facility at the industrial park and proceed with renovating a 4.5-kilometer road and increasing commuter buses to help North Korean labors commute to work.

(The Hankyoreh)

The prime suspect in the unsolved case of the ‘Itaewon Hamburger Shop’ murder has been arrested and is undergoing trial in the United States.

In 1997 a 23-year-old Korean college student was stabbed to death in a hamburger shop bathroom in Itaewon, a multicultural neighborhood in Seoul. American soldier Arthur Patterson and Korean American Edward Lee were suspected of killing Cho after following him into the washroom but the two were released on insufficient evidence. 14 years after the incident, an official with Korea’s prosecutors’ office said he had learned that Patterson is currently held by US authorities and is undergoing trial in a California court which will decide whether he will be repatriated to Korea.

Even though it is one year before the 15-year statute of limitations on murder is about to expire legal experts say his departure nullifies the statute.

(Arirang News)