Gaesong Pottery Perks Raise Suspicion

Grand National Party (GNP) representative Chung Hee-soo said on June 28, “The Ministry of Unification gave favorable treatment to Living Art, a pottery manufacturer in the Gaesong Industrial Complex when it sold about 1,000 pyeong of land to the company.”

He publicized a press release and argued, “Early last year, Living Art asked for an additional sale of a 1,000-pyeong piece of land for convenience facilities for workers in the complex. Despite opposition from 14 companies within the complex and the Korea Land Corporation (KLC), the ministry pressured the KLC to sell land to Living Art.”

Chung said, “Even though other companies said that it is unfair to give favorable treatment to some specific companies, the ministry sent an official note to Korea Land Corporation and asked it to deal separately with the additional land sale to Living Art and the examination and management of land demands of other companies.” He made public a copy of the official note.

In an official note sent by the ministry on January 19 last year, the ministry asked the KLC to sell a 1,000-pyeong piece of land out of a transformer substation to Living Art and set up convenience facilities in the remaining portion that could be used by workers from the rest 14 companies. In March last year, the KLC sold the 1,000-pyeong land to Living Art. The ministry denied the suspicion and said, “The land was sold to Living Art due to the request from the company and North Korea. Also, we saw the need to do so and requested the KLC to sell it.”

Chin-Ku Lee sys1201@donga.com taewon_ha@donga.com