Koreas make little progress in talks on joint venture

SEOUL, June 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea asked South Korea to more than triple
monthly wages for North Korean workers at a joint park to US$300 at the just
concluded government-level talks, a Seoul spokesman said Thursday.
The two Koreas agreed to meet again on June 19 to follow up on the North's
proposals, said Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung.
South Korea "raised the case of our detained worker," Chun said, refusing to say
how North Korea responded.
In addition to the steep pay hike, North Korea demanded South Korean firms at the
joint park in the North's border town of Kaesong agree to an annual wage increase
rate of 10 to 12 percent from the current 5 percent, he said. South Korean
businesses operating in Kaesong currently pay $70-80 in month wages.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)