“At the current stage we are not considering withdrawal from the Kaesong Industrial Complex,” Minister of Unification Ryoo Kihl Je stated earlier today, reassuring those concerned about the escalating nature of North Korea’s blockade of the complex (KIC).
Minister Ryoo, speaking at the Foreign Correspondent Club in Seoul, explained, “We do not believe that the safety of people in the KIC is under that level of threat.” However he added, “If a situation comes where we have to evacuate personnel then we will do so for their own safety.”
He continued, “We cannot know at this time whether faltering operations mean that North Korea is saying that ultimately it doesn’t want to have the KIC.”
However, he emphasized, “If further production becomes impossible then it will be the sole responsibility of North Korea. North Korea’s repeated threats and creation of tension is not only unhelpful for the KIC but also for inter-Korean relations. North Korea must immediately stop its threats and provocations and step onto the road of change.”
“The government takes the North Korean threat very seriously and is preparing for all possible situations,” he went on. “We will not cave to North Korea’s threats and provocations, will respond strongly to them, and will make our voice heard on their bad behavior.”
Conversely, he reaffirmed, “If North Korea makes the right choice and goes in the right direction then we will approach them more flexibly. We want to build trust with North Korea. We must actively change the environment so that we can encourage change in North Korea.”
