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A wire fence to divide North and South Korea
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North may be rethinking inter-Korean cooperation
North Korea is taking steps to put pressure on South Korea by halting the construction of a reunion center at Mount Geumgang as well as video reunions of separated families scheduled for August 15. The North also recently said it would withdraw a number of workers from its inter-Korean economic cooperation office. If this trend escalates, some are concerned that the North may go too far in damaging inter-Korean relations. While the government has said that it is too early to judge, many experts say the recent steps by North Korea are strong ones. South Korea’s halt of food and fertilizer aid to North Korea has definitely riled the North, but a larger reconsidering of inter-Korean relations by the North is feared. This concern is in line with the North’s withdrawal of three to four workers at the inter-Korean economic cooperation office in Gaeseong (Kaesong) on the afternoon of July 21. The withdrawal at the Gaesong industrial complex, a symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation, was seen as a possible suspension in the economic cooperation projects between the two Koreas. Responding to the North’s steps, South Korean government officials said that the North may have used their only useable cards. From the humanitarian viewpoint, some say the resumption of aid for rice and fertilizer is needed, but these voices bear the difficulty of finding justification. Even as North Korea was battered by recent torrential rains, the South Korean government cannot even mention possible aid to the North because of the current diplomatic freeze, while international organizations are filling in the gaps.On July 24, Pyongyang called on Seoul to withdraw from the Ulji Focus Lens exercise, a South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise. Related to this exercise, North Korea delayed the fourth round of six-party talks in August last year as well as inter-Korean ministerial talks in March this year. At this stage, the only channel is the inter-Korean ceremony for August 15, liberation day for Korea. Attention is focusing on whether the North will invite the South to its ceremony. It is also uncertain whether the South would take part if invited. In either case, a significant door in inter-Korean relations would be closed for the time being.
