SEOUL, July 22 (Itar-Tass) - The 5th round of inter-Korean talks on the Kaesong industrial facility has yielded no results.
The delegations have failed to reach agreement on measures to avoid the closure of the facility.
The Kaesong industrial zone, north of the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, was the centrepiece of inter-Korean projects. The facility was closed in April as tensions rose between the rivals when South Korea held military exercises with the U.S. troops not far from the border, which led to North Korea pulling 53,000 workers out of the industrial part in protest.
Then South Korea ordered its managers to leave as well.
Within the day the parties have met four times, but they only agreed that the 6th round of talks would be held on July 25, a spokesperson to the South Korean Unification Ministry said.
At the same time, he said the South and the North had certain common moments, which should be discussed.
North Korea insists the industrial park start working immediately. The South Korean delegation insist firm guarantees be given to prevent the unilateral closure of the facility. In addition, the parties believe that everyone is responsible for stopping the activities of the industrial zone, which was the only proof of Seoul-Pyongyang cooperation.
South Korea also calls for turning the industrial park into an international business zone.
“We hope that both parties will hold serious talks to agree on the unsolved problems and use the situation in order to provide the firm foundation for further growth of the Kaesong complex,” head of the South Korean delegation Kim Ki-Woong said.