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While the two Koreas negotiated restarting their Gaeseong Industrial Complex on Wednesday,
North Korea made proposals for reviving more inter-Korean projects.
Our Unification Ministry correspondent Hwang Sung-hee takes a look at the possible motives
behind Pyongyang's latest actions.
North Korea proposed on Wednesday to hold two separate sets of working-level discussions
next week, one covering the reopening of the Mount Geumgang resort in the North and the
other on the resumption of reunions for families separated during the Korean War.
The South declined the North's proposal for talks on July 17th on the reopening of the
resort and only agreed to discuss family reunions at talks on July 19th.
Seoul's Unification Ministry said the two Koreas must focus on the ongoing negotiations
on reopening the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, but at the same time, the revival of family
reunions is an urgent issue.
The North made the proposals through an inter-Korean border hotline, while the two Koreas were
engaged in negotiations on resuming operations at their jointly run factory zone in the North.
Some say that by opening talks with the South and trying to mend inter-Korean ties, North
Korea may be trying to prove to China, its closest ally and biggest economic benefactor,
that it is on its best behavior.
China has recently joined the United States and South Korea in condemning the North for
its nuclear program.
But the chances that the South will immediately accept the olive branch from the North are
slim.
The Park Geun-hye administration has maintained that it will not engage with the North until
it promises to give up its nuclear program.
She has said, however, that discussions on inter-Korean economic projects and humanitarian
issues can be dealt with separately.
Experts say that the latest refusal by the South Korean government on the Mount Geumgang
tourism project talks is a reflection of President Park's so-called "trust-building" process,
a step-by-step procedure for building trust with the North.
Hwang Sung-hee, Arirang News.