Only 22 pct of S. Koreans say N. Korea trustworthy

SEOUL, June 25 (Yonhap) -- About one-fifth of South Koreans think North Korea is
trustworthy, a poll said Thursday, the lowest level in a decade amid heightened
tension over the communist state's recent belligerent acts.
The survey by Hyundai Economic Research Institute, a Seoul-based private think
tank, showed 22.2 percent of the 623 respondents felt that North Korea could be
trusted as a "partner for dialogue."
The percentage of those who thought North Korea trustworthy saw its highest of
52.3 percent in 2000, when a historic inter-Korean summit was held between then
South Korean president Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
Since then, the figure has continued to fall. In 2002, it stood at 34.1 percent
and slid to 24.3 percent in October last year, according to the institute.
As for the future of an inter-Korean industrial complex in the North Korean
border city of Kaesong, 75.3 percent said the project should be continued.
Earlier in the day, a group of South Korean firms operating at the troubled
Kaesong Industrial Complex appealed for emergency funding from their government,
saying they are in deep financial straits because of dwindling orders.
Concerns have grown over the fate of the Kaesong complex after Pyongyang
unilaterally nullified in May all agreements it signed with South Korea in 2004
and demanded major hikes in rents and wages for its workers.
South and North Korea have met three times to discuss their differences over the
joint venture, though no agreement was reached.
Some analysts say the North's recent belligerence, including a test of a
long-range rocket followed by its second nuclear test on May 25 and signs of more
missile launches, stems from efforts by the ailing North Korean leader to lay the
groundwork for a transfer of power to his youngest son.
(END)