There has been no deal so far in the re-opening of the Kaesong Industrial park in North Korea after fifteen hours of talks on Sunday.
More talks will continue on next Monday. This next session will take place at the complex itself.
The Industrial complex has been closed since April when the north pulled out all of it 53,000 workers after the international community laid out sanctions as a result of North Korea’s nuclear test. Additional reasons given for the closure were the annual military drills between South Korea and the United States.
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Earlier,on Wednesday South Korea officials and businessmen toured and inspected the complex, in advance of a possible re-opening. The officials had concerns of damage and deterioration during the rainy season.
Much of the talks were concerned with the $600 million in damage done to the factories resulting from the three-month shutdown. Many of the factories there produce electronics and textiles, and have machinery that is sensitive to heat, cold, humidity and the such.
South Korea, during the negotiations called for the complex to be unaffected from future disputes between the two nations. As a measure to make it so, the South suggested the introduction of non-Korean factories in the complex. The suggestion was received poorly with the North concerned with the spread of capitalism from foreign investors.
Terms of reopening are very far apart according to South Korean sources. The south is not only is having difficulty with negotiations with the north but is subject to opposition with in its own country to re-open the facotries in Kaesong. Many in the south are opposed to the $80 to $90 million paid to the north in worker’s wages that they say goes into the building of missiles and nuclear weapons.