SOUTH KOREA: Kaesong company workers rally near the inter-Korean border for normalization of joint industrial park

Record ID: 214023

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: Kaesong company workers rally near the inter-Korean border for normalization of joint industrial park
  • Date: 7th August 2013
  • Summary: PAJU, SOUTH KOREA (AUGUST 7, 2013) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF KAESONG COMPANY OWNERS AND WORKERS MARCHING DOWN STREETS WHILE HOLDING PLACARD READING IN KOREAN: "NORTH KOREA MUST PROMISE TO PREVENT RECURRENCE WITHOUT PRECONDITION!" OWNERS AND WORKERS GATHERING VARIOUS OF OWNERS AND WORKERS CHANTING WORKER CHANTING WHILE HOLDING BANNER READING IN KOREAN: "WE WANT TO WORK" AND "NORMALISATION OF KAESONG INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX" VARIOUS OF OWNERS AND WORKERS CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF COMPANIES AT KAESONG INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX (KIC), OK SUNG-SEOK, SAYING: "We are here today to urge normalisation of Kaesong Industrial Complex. First of all, we hope North Korean authority makes a promise to prevent recurrence (of the factory shutdown) without any preconditions. Also, we hope our government takes realistic and effective measures that our companies can continue to survive." VARIOUS OF CHANTING VARIOUS OF OWNERS AND WORKERS FLYING PAPER AIRPLANES
  • Embargoed: 22nd August 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Republic of
  • Country: South Korea
  • Topics: Business,General,Economy,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVACKZF3ZHUBBTV4ANB5NP7UOIUU
  • Story Text: South Korea's Kaesong company owners and workers on Wednesday (August 7) rallied near the border demanding normalisation of the joint industrial park, as the talks for reopening the park are at deadlock.
    Approximately 500 people, consisted of about 100 owners and 400 workers, gathered near the inter-Korean border in Paju, about 55km (34 miles) north of Seoul, marched down streets and flew paper airplanes carrying their wishes for the normalisation.
    "We are here today to urge normalization of Kaesong Industrial Complex. First of all, we hope North Korean authority makes a promise to prevent recurrence (of the factory shutdown) without any preconditions. Also, we hope our government takes realistic and effective measures that our companies can continue to survive," said the vice-president of the Association of Companies at Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), Ok Sung-seok.
    South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae on Sunday (July 28) proposed a final round of talks over reopening the Kaesong industrial zone. However, the North still remains silent over the proposal.
    On July 26, the sixth round of talks over the shuttered Kaesong broke down since two sides had been unable to agree on measures to prevent a recurrence of the shutdown.
    North Korea closed the factories in April, withdrawing all of its 53,000 workers and banned South Korean firms from crossing the border with supplies and managers at the height of tensions between the two countries.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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