The country is currently developing a large industrial complex in the North's border town of Kaesong where 13 South Korean firms are already in operation, employing some 8,000 North Korean workers. Over 1.2 million South Korean tourists have already visited the North's scenic resort at Mount Geumgang in trips organized by Hyundai Asan, a North Korea business arm of Hyundai Group, since the late 1990s, according to the business group and the Unification Ministry. The minister's remarks are, however, expected to spark criticism from other countries as they follow Pyongyang's rejection of the U.N. Security Council resolution less than one hour after its passage on Saturday (Seoul time). Japan, which had sought a tougher resolution against the communist state with a reference to Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, enabling military action against the North in case of further provocation or missile tests, has already vowed to impose economic sanctions on Pyongyang. Many other countries are expected to follow suit. "If they do not want to face some of the additional pressures that can be brought to bear on them, then I think that they will eventually realize that they have got to come back to the six-party talks," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters on Sunday. Pyongyang has been staying away from the six-nation international negotiations aimed at peacefully resolving the dispute over its nuclear weapons program since November, citing what it claims to be a hostile U.S. policy toward it. The talks are also attended by the United States, Japan, China, Russia and South Korea. Seoul, July 18 (Yonhap News)
