Unification Spokesperson's Statement on the Gaeseong Industrial Complex(GIC)
□ After North Korea prohibited the entry of the South Korean workers to the GIC on April 3, and announced a tentative suspension of the GIC on April 8, the workers currently staying at the GIC are facing serious difficulties due to lack of food and medical supplies. The tenant companies are also undergoing great damage and hardship.
□ Above all, under the recognition that it is very urgent to relieve the humanitarian problems our people are encountering at the GIC, the Korean government offered to hold a meeting between the chairman of the Kaesong Industrial District Management Committee(KIDMAC) and the chief of North Korea's Special District General Bureau to ask for the following matters :
o To solve problems of the GIC, North Korea first needs to take at least the minimum measures.
o Particularly, North Korea must at least accept a minimum number of South Korean medical and transport personnel to ease the humanitarian problems of our people at the GIC.
□ North Korea, however, rejected to even accept the document addressing the above matters.
o It is deeply regrettable that North Korea declined to accept the minimum humanitarian measures required for the GIC workers.
□ Under current circumstances, we cannot leave the GIC as it is for it is apt to aggravate in the long run.
□ Therefore, the Korean government today officially proposes working-level talks between the two Koreas in order to resolve the humanitarian problems of the GIC workers and to normalize the operation of the GIC.
o We ask North Korea to respond to our proposal of working-level talks between the two Koreas by tomorrow noon(April 26).
□ Although there is no change on our stance to support the stable operation and improvement of the GIC,
o if North Korea rejects our proposal on working-level talks, we have no choice but to take significant measures on the GIC.
April 25, 2013
Spokesperson of Ministry of Unification
