Move in retaliation for S.K.’s suspension of aid to North
Seoul was notified on July 21 of the withdrawal of three to four North Korean officials out of its nine-member staff at the Kaesong (Gaeseong) Industrial Complex, according to the Ministry of Unification the following day. The office for South-North economic cooperation in Kaesong opened in October last year as a channel for inter-Korean economic cooperation. Before the opening of the office in Kaesong, businessmen from both Koreas met in third countries, such as China, to discuss economic exchange. Pyongyang’s move was made in retaliation for South Korea’s suspension of humanitarian aid following the North’s missile tests on June 5 local time. The move will make it more difficult for the two Koreas to conduct government-level negotiations on programs for cross-border economic cooperation, analysts say, but the overall effects are expected to be limited, as staff from the North’s civic sector will remain, making it possible for the two sides to have civilian-level consultations.A Unification Ministry official, asking to remain anonymous, said, “The South’s staff will remain and continue to support the South Korean companies’ consultations with their counterparts from the North. As North Korea did not pull out its civic sector staff, it has a will to maintain cross-border economic cooperation.” Since the Kaesong Industrial Complex and Mt. Kumkang (Geumgang) tourism projects are processed through a separate channel, they will not be affected by the North’s move, he added. Many analysts noted that as Pyongyang’s latest move will have a limited effect compared with the North’s recent suspension of separated family reunions. Such a move indicates that North Korea has no further options to take, the analysts said. Pyongyang informed Seoul on July 19 that it would halt the family reunions scheduled for August 15, as well as the construction of a planned family reunion center at the foot of Mt. Geumgang, citing the South’s suspension of rice and fertilizer aid.
