Bus Crash in Kaesong Kills 10 NK Workers

Ten North Korean workers were killed last week when two commuter buses collided in the inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong, North Korea, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said Wednesday.

A commuter bus loaded with North Korean workers slammed into another around 7:40 p.m. Friday at an intersection in the complex, killing 10 workers and injuring 40 others, the ministry said.

One of the bus drivers reportedly had little visibility amid thick fog and torrential rain. Heavily damaged on the front right and left sides, the buses were owned by the committee managing the complex and South Korean companies operating there.

The bus drivers and passengers were all North Koreans, so no South Koreans were killed or injured. North Korean authorities rushed the victims to Kaesong immediately after the accident, but did not inform South Korea of the incident, ministry officials said.

More than 120 buses are owned by the management committee and another 100 or more buses by South Korean companies doing business there. The buses make two trips daily in the morning and afternoon to transport some 44,000 North Korean workers at the complex.

kyle@donga.com