SEOUL, April 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Wednesday ignored the request by South Korean businessmen to cross over the demarcation line that separates the two countries so they can deliver food to employees and check the condition of their facilities at Kaesong.

   The Ministry of Unification, which had sent the request through the Kaesong Industrial District Management Committee in the North Korean border town, said it received no permission from Pyongyang for the passage of the 10 businessmen.

   The businessmen are currently at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine office in Paju, about 50 kilometers northwest of Seoul.

   The move shows the communist country has no immediate plans to alter its policy of banning South Korean personnel and materials from entering the joint complex in the communist country. The entry ban has been in place since April 3.

   It had also pulled out all of its 53,000 workers from the complex on April 9, effectively halting operations at the 123 factories for over a week.

   There are presently 209 South Korean workers at the complex just north of the demilitarized zone with three expected to return home during the day.

  


yonngong@yna.co.kr
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