Gov't-level talks held between S. Korea and DPRK

Government-level talks have been held between South Korea and the DPRK at the Kaesong Joint Industrial Complex on the Korean border. Talks on the fate of the troubled industrial park came as the UN moved closer to imposing new sanctions on Pyongyang for testing an atomic device on May 25th.

According to South Korean media, the DPRK focused on revisions to the joint park's contract. South Korea raised the issue of a worker detained since March for denouncing the DPRK's political system.

Kim Young-Tak, head of S. Korean delegation, said, "One of our employees has been detained for over 70 days and as you all know, the situation in the Kaesong Industrial Complex is very difficult. We are planning to meet with officials from the North and solve the problems with an open mind."

The DPRK requested a hike in their workers' salary to 300 US dollars a month, almost four times the current rate.

It also demanded the rent be raised to 500 million US dollars, more than 50 times the current level.

The rare meeting, held some 50 days after the first talks ended after just 22 minutes, comes as South Korean border tensions remain high.

The Kaesong complex, where 106 South Korean companies operate with around 40,000 DPRK workers, makes a variety of products, from electronics and watches to shoes and utensils. The park, located in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong, was jointly set up as a reconciliation project between the two sides.