North and South Korea open rare talks on Kaesong joint industrial zone
Delegations meet for tense discussions over closed joint industrial zone in Kaesong
North and South Korea held rare talks yesterday on reopening a joint industrial zone seen as the last remaining symbol of cross-border reconciliation.
But the meeting showed early signs of faltering, with two sides talking across each other over what to discuss first.
The talks - delayed by nearly two hours - follow months of friction and threats of war from Pyongyang after its February nuclear test led to tougher UN sanctions, further squeezing its struggling economy.
The Kaesong industrial zone was the most high-profile casualty of the elevated tensions on the Korean peninsula but neither side has declared the complex officially closed, instead referring to a temporary shutdown.
Both nations say they want to reopen the Seoul-funded industrial zone on the North Korean side of the border but blame each other for its suspension.
"There are a multitude of issues to discuss but the issue of preventing damage to facilities from monsoon rains should take precedence," the North's chief delegate Park Chol-Su was quoted as saying at the start of the meeting by a press pool report.
His South Korean counterpart Suh Ho said: "We've come here with a heavy heart as the Kaesong industrial zone has been shuttered. I hope we settle the issue through mutual trust and co-operation."
