The two Koreas sat down for the fifth time in the Kaesong Industrial Complex at 10AM today to discuss the future of the inter-Korean manufacturing zone.
The first four rounds of working-level meetings did not result in any substantive narrowing of the differences between the two sides, with South Korea continuing to assert the need for a guarantee against future KIC shutdowns and the internationalization of KIC operations, and North Korea attempting to place the blame for the shutdown on South Korea while calling for it to immediately reopen and noting that if it does not, inter-Korean relations could be irrepairably damaged.
In a statement that mimicked the one he delivered prior to departure for the fourth round of talks last week, South Korean delegation head Kim Ki Woong told reporters this morning, “I will do my best to bring about a result that can be accepted by our nation’s people.”
