S. Korean delegation visits N. Korea to set up liaison office

By Lim Chang-won Posted : June 8, 2018, 11:00 Updated : June 8, 2018, 11:00

[Yonhap Photo]


PAJU (Joint Press Corps) -- A South Korean delegation crossed the border Friday to set up a liaison office for cross-border exchanges and cooperation under a landmark peace declaration signed by the leaders of the two Koreas at their summit in April.

The 14-member delegation, led by Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung, crossed into North Korea through a border checkpoint north of Seoul to inspect potential facilities for the liaison office that will be located in the North Korean border city of Kaesong.

In the so-called Panmunjom Declaration signed by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the two Koreas agreed to spur exchanges, resurrect stalled economic projects and end hostile acts against each other.

"I believe the establishment of the inter-Korean liaison office is the first step in implementing the Panmunjom Declaration. It is significant for the sustainable development of inter-Korean relations," Chun told reporters.

However, he said his trip was not related to the possible reopening of a joint industrial zone in Kaesong. The two Koreas opened the Kaesong zone in December 2004, but it was closed in 2016 when Seoul shut it down in retaliation for the North's ballistic missile and nuclear tests.

The Kaesong complex, a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation and reconciliation, was considered a rare legitimate source of hard currency for the impoverished North. It once hosted about 120 South Korean firms with Pyongyang making more than $100 million annually in wages earned by 54,000 workers.

Moon promised to reopen the complex if North Korean returned to the dialogue table, but Seoul is cautious as it depends on how Pyongyang will implement agreements.

 
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