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Fri, February 26, 2021 | 02:15
Park regrets shutdown of Gaeseong complex
朴대통령 "개성공단 잠정중단 매우 실망"
Posted : 2013-04-09 19:03
Updated : 2013-04-09 19:03
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President Park Geun-hye speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. She expressed her concern over the closure of the joint inter-Korean industrial park in Gaeseong. / Yonhap
President Park Geun-hye speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. She expressed her concern over the closure of the joint inter-Korean industrial park in Gaeseong. / Yonhap

By Chung Min-uck


President Park Geun-hye expressed her disappointment Tuesday with North Korea's decision to suspend the operation of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.

"It is very disappointing that North Korea abruptly decided to suspend the operation of the Gaeseong complex that has been operating without any problems," Park said during a Cabinet meeting. "How long must we put up with this endless vicious cycle of North Korea creating crises before reaching a compromise in exchange for aid, and again creating crises before compromise and aid?"

"North Korea should immediately stop this wrong behavior and make the right choice for the future of the entire Korean people," Park added.

All operations at the joint complex came to a halt as North Korean workers failed to show up for work Tuesday, a day after the regime announced it would withdraw them and temporarily suspend operations.

"All manufacturing sector workers did not report to work, although security personnel hired to guard factories, and North Korean administrative personnel of the Gaeseong Industrial District Management Committee showed up for duty," an official of the Ministry of Unification said.

Asked about government's position on the matter, the official said "there is no change in the government's position that the joint complex should be operated properly. The South would never be the first to declare a halt, withdraw staff and close the complex."

Inter-Korean tensions are currently reaching one of the highest points since the Korean War (1950-1953) as North Korea is ratcheting up war threats with bellicose rhetoric on a daily basis in response to a South Korea-U.S. joint military exercise, and new U.N. sanctions adopted for its Feb. 12 nuclear test.

At the complex, a total of 123 factories employ some 53,000 workers, combining cheap North Korean labor with South Korean capital and technology.

Revenue generated there is considered one of the key sources of hard currency for the impoverished North.

South Korean companies pay the workers an aggregated $87 million annually in salaries, according to the unification ministry.

Park went on to say during the meeting that no country would be willing to invest in North Korea following its decision to suspend the joint complex.

"If North Korea breaches international regulations and promises like this, there will be no countries or companies that will make investments there," Park said. "If the complex does not operate properly, the inter-Korean cooperation fund will be used to cover the losses of South Korean companies operating there meaning less money for future inter-Korean cooperation projects."


朴대통령 "개성공단 잠정중단 매우 실망"

'위기 조성→타협ㆍ지원 악순환 언제까지 반복해야 하나'
부동산대책 후속입법·지하경제 양성화 추진 주문


박근혜 대통령은 9일 북한의 개성공단 조업 잠정중단 사태와 관련, '그동안 멀쩡하게 잘 돌아가던 개성공단을 북한이 어제 조업을 잠정 중단시키겠다고 한 것은 매우 실망스럽다'고 말했다.

박 대통령은 이날 오전 청와대에서 열린 국무회의 모두발언에서 '북한은 그릇된 행동을 멈추고 한민족의 미래를 위해 올바른 선택을 해야 한다'며 이같이 비판했다.

특히 박 대통령은 '위기를 조성하면 타협과 지원, 또 위기를 조성하면 타협과 지원을 하는 끝없는 악순환을 언제까지 반복해야 하느냐'면서 북한의 고조되는 도발 위협에 단호히 대처하겠다는 의지를 드러냈다.

박 대통령은 '개성공단의 정상적 운영이 어려워지면 우리 기업의 피해 보전을 위해 남북협력기금이 지출될 것이고 그만큼 남북교류협력을 위한 쓰임새는 줄어들 수밖에 없다'고 북측에 경고했다.

박 대통령은 '투자에는 예측 가능성과 신뢰가 가장 중요한 전제인데 국제사회가 다 지켜보는 가운데 북한이 이런 식으로 국제규범과 약속을 어기고 개성공단 운영을 중단시킨다면 앞으로 북한에 투자할 나라와 기업은 어디에도 없을 것'이라고도 지적했다.

이어 박 대통령은 4월 임시국회와 관련, '새 정부 주요정책을 국민에게 소상히 알릴 소중한 기회라 생각하고 적극적으로 임해주고, 추경예산과 민생법안, 국정과제 법안이 신속히 처리될 수 있도록 노력해달라'고 말했다.

'부동산 대책은 타이밍이 무엇보다 중요한만큼 4ㆍ1 부동산 정상화 대책 관련 후속입법이 조속히 마무리될 수 있도록 국회와 긴밀히 논의하고, 이번 주부터 당정청 실무회의가 본격 가동되는데 주요 정책을 마련할 때는 당에 사전에 설명하고 소통하는 노력을 기울여달라'고 당부했다.

박 대통령은 아울러 '국정과제를 증세없이 이행하기 위해서는 무엇보다 세출절감 노력과 함께 지하경제 양성화 추진이 중요하다'며 '관행적으로 편성, 집행되는 예산은 없는지 원점에서 다시 점검하라'고 주문했다.

특히 '타당성을 가진 사업이라도 현장에서 누수현상이 벌어지거나 당초 목적과 달리 사용되는 예산은 없는지 검토해야 한다'며 '연말마다 멀쩡한 보도블록을 뜯어내고 예산을 들여 공원을 고쳐 그대로 방치하고, 예산은 예산대로 낭비하면서 애물단지로 만드는 일들이 발생하지 않도록 철저히 관리하라'고 강조했다.
Emailmuchung@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter









 
 
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