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| Seoul warns North Korea |
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009
SEOUL: Seoul on Tuesday again urged North Korea to free a South Korean detained for almost a month at a joint industrial estate, warning that the issue could jeopardise the future of the project.
The employee of Hyundai Asan, developer of the estate at Kaesong just north of the border, has been held since March 30 for allegedly criticising the communist state’s political system.
“North Korea must understand the seriousness of this issue and show a positive attitude toward its resolution,” Unification Minister Hyun In-Taek told journalists.
Similar situations could arise for any firm and employee at the estate, he said, calling it “a very serious matter which will have very important consequences for the stable development of Kaesong.”
Hyun said the South remained firm in its commitment to the stable development of the estate as a “symbol of mutual benefits and common prosperity” for the North and the South.
Kaesong was built as a symbol of reconciliation between two countries, which have remained technically at war since their 1950-1953 conflict.
But operations have often been hit by political tensions. In December the North restricted border crossings and expelled hundreds of South Korean managers from the estate.
At a rare government-level meeting with South Korea last week the North demanded pay rises for its workers and land-use fees at the Seoul-funded estate.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
