ROK to withdraw workers in Kaesong

SEOUL -  Seoul said Friday that it has decided to withdraw its roughly 175 workers still at a jointly run factory complex in Democratic People's Republic of Korea, raising a major question about the survival of the last symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

The statement by the country's minister in charge of inter-Korean relations came after DPRK rejected Seoul's demand for talks on the factory park that has been closed nearly a month.

Seoul said it issued a Friday deadline for DPRK to respond to its call for talks because it was worried about its workers not having access to food and medicine. DPRK hasn't allowed supplies or workers to cross the border since early this month.

"We've made the inevitable decision to bring back all the remaining personnel in Kaesong for the protection of our people as their difficulties continue to grow," Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said in a televised statement. He didn't take questions from reporters.

Ryoo urged DPRK to protect the property of Republic of Korea's companies at Kaesong and ensure the safety of ROK managers when they return home. He didn't say when the withdrawal would take place.

Pyongyang's powerful National Defense Commission earlier said Seoul's demand for working-level talks was deceptive and that ongoing US-ROK military drills and the spreading of anti-DPRK leaflets at the border were proof of Seoul's insincerity.

"This is a war of pride between the Koreas, but they are conducting it while leaving some room for talks," Lee Hochul, a political science professor at Incheon National University in ROK, said, adding neither side is mentioning a permanent shutdown of the industrial complex.

"Once drills end and tension subsides, they may try to revive contact over Kaesong," Lee said.