Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - At the last moment, before a break, delegates from the North Korea accepted Seoul’s proposal for "further talks" to discuss the future of inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong. The summit will be held the first of February in the city on the border between the two countries. The agreement was reached when representatives of Seoul were already about to leave talks empty-handed.
Kim Young-tak, head of the South Korean delegation, confirmed that the " The North Korean side accepted our proposal right before our delegation left Kaesong, just as we were bidding farewell”. Previously, in fact, the Unification Ministry in Seoul had circulated a note in which it had anticipated "no agreement" between the parties regarding a new round of talks.
The agreement between Seoul and Pyongyang came after a three days of negotiations that started on 19 January in Kaesong, a town near the west coast, in North Korean territory. Discussions will focus on the initiatives taken to improve the productivity of inter-Korean industrial complex (pictured). It consists of about 110 industries from the South, that employ almost 42 thousand North Korean workers and is the result of the first, historic summit between the two countries in June 2000.
Pyongyang has long demanded an increase in wages for North Korean workers. Seoul says that there are other important issues to be sorted out, including a simplification of procedures for access to the complex and housing for workers. "An increase in wages - clarifies Kim Young-tak - must be preceded by an increase in productivity."