hankyoreh

near Panmunjom. (by Lee Jeong-ah

By Gil Yun-hyung, staff reporter

July 31 marked the third straight day without a response from North Korea to a proposal from Seoul to resume working-level talks to normalize operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

Some observers are expressing concern that inter-Korean relations may be settling in once again for a long-term chill, but others are taking a different view.

The Unification Ministry delivered a report on the situation on July 31. “There have been normal contacts and telephone conversations between South and North through Panmunjeom, but no response from North Korea to our proposal to resume working-level talks to normalize the Complex,” it said.

It was the third straight day of silence since South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae announced on July 28 that he was approving private humanitarian aid to North Korea and proposing “final talks.”

With the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercises between the South Korean and US militaries set to begin in August, the situation on the peninsula is not favorable for a resumption of dialogue. North Korea has called the exercises “war training for an invasion.”

Indeed, the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the Workers’ Party of (North) Korea, printed an article on July 31 warning that the peninsula would be in another “state of war” after last spring’s once the exercises begin. Based on this, experts are predicting that inter-Korean working-level talks are unlikely to get off the ground for the time being.

A North Korea source in Dandong, China told the Hankyoreh that the delay likely had to do with preparations for an upcoming event in North Korea.

“From what I’ve heard, all operations were halted through the 29th due to preparations for a 60th anniversary Victory Day event,” the source said. The event celebrates the 1953 armistice that ended the combat phase of the Korean War, which North Korea claims as its own victory in the war.

The source‘s claim means that the delayed response may not necessarily be a rejection of the proposal to resume the talks. Another factor is that North Korea is ill positioned to bear the burden of responsibility for the complex’s closure if it does refuse Seoul’s offer to hold more talks.

Indeed, North Korea’s proposed draft agreement from the last round of working-level talks contains language suggesting it does not necessary plan to link the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military exercises to the Kaesong Complex issue. While North Korea’s draft for the third round of talks said South Korea would “under no circumstances engage in political or military activities that hinder the complex’s operation,” another for the sixth round said North Korea would “ensure normal operation of the industrial zone without any influence from any external circumstances.”

Meanwhile, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-suk commented on the lack of a reply at a regular briefing on July 31.

“We’re not going to call it a ‘no’ [from North Korea] yet,” he said. “We’re only going to reiterate that we urge North Korea to comply quickly and show a sincere change in its position.”

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