South Korea called on North Korea Wednesday to put forward strong safeguards against another unilateral shutdown of an inter-Korean industrial complex that has remained idle for three months, Yonhap news agency reported. Seoul's demand came at a working-level meeting held in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, which is a follow-up to weekend talks at the neutral border village of Panmunjom where the two sides agreed in principle to normalize operation at the joint venture. In the keynote speech at the morning session of the meeting that ran for 25 minutes from 10:35 a.m., South Korea's chief representative Suh Ho outlined South's plans for "constructive development" of the joint venture. He pointed out that for Kaesong to grow it must become a "safe" place to do business and where free business activities are guaranteed. North Korea's chief representative Park Chol-su, the vice director, of the General Bureau for Central Guidance to the Development of the Special Zone, said both sides should desist from taking actions that affect normal operations at the complex, and that inspection of facilities needs to be completed so operations can resume as soon as possible.
