N. Korea tightens entry rules in Kaesong factory park
2014/07/18 10:18
SEOUL, July 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has said it will enforce stricter entry regulations on South Korean workers in an inter-Korean factory park, despite Seoul's call for bilateral discussion, the unification ministry said Friday.
The industrial complex in the North Korean city of Kaesong, which opened in the early 2000s, is a key symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation. Currently, more than 50,000 North Koreans work at about 120 South Korean light industrial companies there.
"The North notified the management committee for the Kaesong Industrial Complex of its plan to tighten entry rules starting on Friday," said the ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs.
Under the stricter rules, South Korean workers are subject to a one-day entry denial if they are found carrying prohibited materials critical of the North Korean regime or automobile black boxes.
Those who don't abide by entry rules by failing to cover up their car license plates or deviating from regular entry allowance hours will also be put under entry denial of up to two days, according to the ministry.
The North has also hinted at the possibility of punishing South Korean companies operating in the Kaesong complex, depending on the level of future entry rule violations, the ministry said.
Currently, North Korea fines South Korean workers US$100 for carrying cell phones, while failure to abide by entry hours is subject to a $50 fine.
The toughened rules also came despite Seoul's pronounced opposition to the unilateral decision.
Seoul has previously expressed its opposition and demanded the changes be discussed bilaterally, but the North has unilaterally issued the notification, officials said.
The North's latest move is widely expected to further stoke tension between the countries.
The North has strongly denounced a joint Seoul-Washington naval exercise going on in South Korea's southwest and east sea, which involves a nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington.
Following the fruitless inter-Korean talks held a day earlier, the North said that it may reconsider its decision to join the Incheon Asian Games to be held in the South Korean city of Incheon later this year.
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