ID :
69411
Tue, 07/07/2009 - 21:06
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/69411
The shortlink copeid
No signs of breakthrough on detained worker in N. Korea
By Tony Chang
SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- Seoul has been left with little leverage over the case
of a South Korean citizen held by Pyongyang, who on Tuesday spent his 100th day
in detention in North Korea in an undisclosed location, officials said.
North Korea detained the South Korean company worker, whom Seoul would only
identify by his surname Yu, at the troubled inter-Korean industrial park in
Kaesong in late March, accusing him of criticizing the North's political system
and attempting to persuade a North Korean woman to defect to the South.
The North has held the 44-year-old man incommunicado and refused to give
information to South Korean officials on his whereabouts.
The detention continues even as the two Koreas, whose ties have become brittle
since President Lee Myung-bak took office in Seoul early last year, are holding
talks on the contract terms governing the business park where Yu used to work.
"The issue of the detained worker is the most important agenda item that cannot be
separated from other pending issues on the Kaesong complex," said Lee Jong-joo,
spokeswoman for Seoul's Unification Ministry.
North Korea has insisted that monthly wages for local employees at the Kaesong
industrial park be raised four-fold to US$300. It also sought $500 million for a
50-year lease on the park, ditching the $16 million rent deal signed when the
park opened in 2004.
During the three rounds of meetings with the North's counterpart, Seoul has
insisted that securing the release of Yu takes precedence over all pending issues
regarding the Kaesong venture.
Another ministry official, requesting anonymity, said Seoul has not had any
further contacts with the North since the latest round of talks at Kaesong on
Thursday.
"We're not sure how things will proceed regarding the detainee but are hoping for
a breakthrough," he said. He declined to comment further.
Experts, however, question Seoul's approach in handling the issue of the
detainee, saying that the issues, one economic and one political, should be
handled separately through different channels.
"A separate, dedicated negotiation channel should be opened regarding the
detainee issue. It should not be discussed in the framework of the talks on the
Kaesong complex," Kim Young-yoon, a researcher with the Korea Institute for
National Unification, said.
Kim noted the ineffectiveness of the latest Kaesong talks regarding the release
of Yu and also stressed Seoul should try to make behind-the-scenes contact with
Pyongyang regarding his case.
Some 60 civic groups held a joint press conference in front of the Unification
Ministry on Tuesday, urging North Korea to immediately release the worker and
blasting the government for its "lukewarm" attitude regarding the issue.
"We cannot but criticize our government which has kept simply asking North Korea
to release the detainee. The government should approach the North with a much
stronger voice," they said in a statement.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, July 7 (Yonhap) -- Seoul has been left with little leverage over the case
of a South Korean citizen held by Pyongyang, who on Tuesday spent his 100th day
in detention in North Korea in an undisclosed location, officials said.
North Korea detained the South Korean company worker, whom Seoul would only
identify by his surname Yu, at the troubled inter-Korean industrial park in
Kaesong in late March, accusing him of criticizing the North's political system
and attempting to persuade a North Korean woman to defect to the South.
The North has held the 44-year-old man incommunicado and refused to give
information to South Korean officials on his whereabouts.
The detention continues even as the two Koreas, whose ties have become brittle
since President Lee Myung-bak took office in Seoul early last year, are holding
talks on the contract terms governing the business park where Yu used to work.
"The issue of the detained worker is the most important agenda item that cannot be
separated from other pending issues on the Kaesong complex," said Lee Jong-joo,
spokeswoman for Seoul's Unification Ministry.
North Korea has insisted that monthly wages for local employees at the Kaesong
industrial park be raised four-fold to US$300. It also sought $500 million for a
50-year lease on the park, ditching the $16 million rent deal signed when the
park opened in 2004.
During the three rounds of meetings with the North's counterpart, Seoul has
insisted that securing the release of Yu takes precedence over all pending issues
regarding the Kaesong venture.
Another ministry official, requesting anonymity, said Seoul has not had any
further contacts with the North since the latest round of talks at Kaesong on
Thursday.
"We're not sure how things will proceed regarding the detainee but are hoping for
a breakthrough," he said. He declined to comment further.
Experts, however, question Seoul's approach in handling the issue of the
detainee, saying that the issues, one economic and one political, should be
handled separately through different channels.
"A separate, dedicated negotiation channel should be opened regarding the
detainee issue. It should not be discussed in the framework of the talks on the
Kaesong complex," Kim Young-yoon, a researcher with the Korea Institute for
National Unification, said.
Kim noted the ineffectiveness of the latest Kaesong talks regarding the release
of Yu and also stressed Seoul should try to make behind-the-scenes contact with
Pyongyang regarding his case.
Some 60 civic groups held a joint press conference in front of the Unification
Ministry on Tuesday, urging North Korea to immediately release the worker and
blasting the government for its "lukewarm" attitude regarding the issue.
"We cannot but criticize our government which has kept simply asking North Korea
to release the detainee. The government should approach the North with a much
stronger voice," they said in a statement.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)
