S. Korea will shut down joint industrial park with N. Korea
Report: North kills defense chief
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said Wednesday that it will shut down a joint industrial park with North Korea in response to its recent rocket launch, accusing the North of using hard currency from the park to develop weapons.
The decision to end operations at the industrial complex in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, the last major cooperation project between the rival countries, comes after North Korea on Sunday launched a long-range rocket considered by other nations to be a banned missile technology test.
By closing the complex, South Korean President Park Geun-hye has done something her conservative predecessor resisted. It is among the strongest punitive measures available to her.
Also Thursday:
South Korea said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had his military chief executed for corruption. If true, the execution of Ri Yong Gil would be the latest in a series of killings, purges and dismissals since Kim took power in late 2011. A South Korean official said Ri’s execution was part of Kim’s effort to bolster his grip on power.
The U.S. Senate voted 96-0 for legislation aimed at starving Pyongyang of the money it needs to build an atomic arsenal. The House overwhelmingly approved North Korean sanctions legislation last month. Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he does not expect any difficulty negotiating a final measure.
Regarding the industrial park, South Korean Unification Minister Hong Yongpyo said at a news conference that the suspension of operations there would stop the North from using currency earned there to develop nuclear and missile technology. The park, which started producing goods in 2004, has provided $560 million to impoverished North Korea, Hong said.
“It appears that such funds have not been used to pave the way to peace as the international community had hoped, but rather to upgrade its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles,” he said.
The Unification Ministry, which is responsible for relations with North Korea, said in a statement that the government had “decided to completely shut down” the park. It notified North Korean authorities of the decision and asked them to help ensure the safe return of South Korean citizens from Kaesong.
There was no immediate reaction to the move from North Korea.
The United States supported the move by its close ally, and said it was considering its own, unspecified “unilateral measures” to punish Pyongyang for its recent nuclear test and rocket launch, even as the U.N. Security Council deliberates imposing more multilateral sanctions.
Combining South Korean initiative, capital and technology with the North’s cheap labor, the industrial park has been seen as a test case for reunification between the Koreas. Last year, 124 South Korean companies hired 54,000 North Korean workers to produce socks, wristwatches and other goods worth around $500 million.