Normalisation of traffic along Korean border, restrictions on goods and people removed
Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Seoul and Pyongyang have normalized the traffic along the border separating the two Koreas - the most militarized in the world, along the 38th parallel - allowing regular access to and from the inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong, in the North.
Lee Jong-joo, a spokesman for the South Korean Ministry for Unification, confirms that there are no longer restrictions on the number of people and vehicles allowed to cross the border; as of today the border will open 12 times a day to allow access to the North and 11 times to the South. In the past the gates were open six times a day.
The normalization of traffic along the border will serve to give a new impulse to development of the inter-Korean industrial complex, Kaesong, in the North. It hosts 110 South Korean companies offering jobs to about 40 thousand North Korean workers. The tensions of recent months had seen a plunge in production and Seoul had not excluded the possibility of closing the complex.
In December 2008 the North Korean regime restricted access along the border, in the months following the climate of tension between Pyongyang and Seoul mounted, to the point of risking open military conflict. The nuclear and missile tests launched by the North last spring also pushed the international community to strengthen sanctions toward North Korea.
In recent weeks, however, Pyongyang seems to have adopted a more conciliatory attitude towards the South and the United States. The release of two U.S. journalists held in the North, which saw the involvement of former President Bill Clinton in person; the issue of the South Korean worker who was arrested for having insulted the "dear leader" Kim Jong-il; the crew of South Korean merchant ship which had strayed into North Korean waters; the resumption of the only phone line that connects the two countries; the resumption of services on the "Peace Train"; the participation of a delegation at the funeral of former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung - promoter of the Sunshine Policy who died on August 18 - are all signs of the North's desire to pursue a renewed policy of dialogue.
Seoul and Pyongyang have exchanged the names of 200 people looking for relatives who live across the border. They could be the first to take advantage of the recent agreement between the two Koreas, which provides for the resumption of the family reunification program. The meetings are scheduled from September 26 to the first October.
Analysts explain that the regime’s turnaround is tied to its urgent need of aid and incentives to boost the North’s economy, marked by decades of isolation. There has been no more talk fior some time now, of the succession to power in Pyongyang, a sign that Kim Jong-il seems to have overcome his recent health problems and has returned to the command of the country.
The nuclear issue remains open however. Pyongyang deems era of the Six-party talks over (which also included South Korea, United States, Russia, China and Japan) and is calling for direct dialogue with Washington. A decision that creates discontent in Beijing and Moscow, who fear a radical change in the political balance in the area.
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12/02/2016 15:14
16/05/2005
