2 Koreas fail to reach agreement on resumption of Kaesong park

South and North Koreas continued their tug-of-war and failed to make headway at the fourth round of working-level talks Wednesday on the proposed resumption of a suspended inter-Korean industrial park in Kaesong, North Korea. South Korea reiterated its demand that the North take effective measures to prevent another suspension of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, while the North maintained its call for quick resumption.

The chief delegates of the two Koreas kept posing for photographs before starting their talks, seemingly aware of South Korean media reports that the two negotiators did not even shake hands before the previous round of talks on Monday. However, the atmosphere remained chill from the beginning of the fourth-round talks.

"The weather is good today. Do you think good results will come out?" asked Pak Chol Su, the North Korean chief delegate. Kim Ki-woong, who heads the South Korean delegation, responded by saying, "I hope that by repairing what needs to be fixed when the rain stopped, we will build a house that is invulnerable to storms and torrential rains." Pak noted with a stern tone, "If the fogs are gone, we will be able to see the peak of a faraway mountain." And then, he did not make any further comment.

"It is important that the two sides share a common understanding about the essence of the situation in which the Kaesong Industrial Complex`s suspended operation," said the South Korean chief delegate, urging the North to guarantee the prevention of another suspension of the Kaesong park. The South insisted that the North admit its responsibility for the suspension and that a final agreement include a clause on the North`s commitment to preventing another suspension.

However, the North refused to show any shift from its previous stance that the two sides have differences over the resumption and normalization of the complex`s operations. The North Korean negotiators repeated its position throughout the talks that the industrial park should resume operation as soon as possible.

The two sides had a plenary session for 50 minutes from 10:00 a.m. Unlike the previous three rounds, the chief delegates met three times during the day but failed to make headway, fueling concerns over prolonged negotiations.