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After a marathon meeting over the weekend, the two Koreas were able to draw up a number
of agreements regarding the shuttered inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex.
The two sides will continue talks on normalizing the business park on Wednesday,... but many
say there will be more challenges ahead.
Our Hwang Sung-hee has the details. Despite the agreements reached between the two Koreas
over the weekend regarding the joint industrial complex in the North, it is still too early
to tell whether the results of the meeting will lead to better inter-Korean ties.
Although the two sides agreed in principle to restart operations at the Gaeseong Industrial
Complex, they remain divided on various fronts.
North Korea wants the factories at the joint business park to be running as soon as possible,
while the South has made it clear that operations will resume only if Pyongyang provides preventive
measures against similar incidents from happening again.
South Korea has maintained its firm stance that operations at the complex can only be
normalized if the North abides by its own obligations and international standards.
And such differences are expected to become a major hurdle when the two Koreas meet again
for talks on Wednesday in Gaeseong.
An official at Seoul's Unification Ministry said the upcoming meeting will be challenging
as the two sides will hold detailed discussions on ways to secure a "constructive development"
of the complex as well as when to restart operations.
He said factories at the complex could be running earlier than expected depending on
North Korea's sincerity about the normalization of the joint business park.
And while South Korean businessmen with factories at the border town welcomed the results of
Sunday's agreement, they also called for the two Koreas to come up with a clear countermeasure
against similar incidents from happening again at the upcoming meeting.
Hwang Sung-hee, Arirang News.