Wednesday, February 10, 2016

South Korea halts joint venture after North's tests

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South Korea halts joint venture after North's tests


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  • From the sectionAsia
Part of Kaesong industrial complex (file image)Image copyrightGetty Images
Image captionKaesong is a key source of revenue for Pyongyang
South Korea is to suspend operations at a jointly run industrial park in North Korea following the North's recent rocket launch and nuclear test.
Seoul said all operations at the complex would halt, to stop the North using its investment "to fund its nuclear and missile development".
Kaesong is the last point of co-operation between the two Koreas and a key source of revenue for Pyongyang.
It came as Japan imposed new sanctions against the North following the launch.
They include a ban on North Korean vessels coming into port in Japan and on vessels from other countries that have visited the state,
The US warned on Tuesday that the North could soon have enough plutonium for nuclear weapons.
South Korea, the US, Japan and others see Sunday's rocket launch - ostensibly to put a satellite into space - as cover for a banned test of missile technology.
North Korean employees work at the assembly line of the factory of South Korean company at the Kaesong industrial complex on December 19, 2013 in Kaesong,Image copyrightGetty Images
Image captionIn 2013, Kaesong was shut down for five months as ties between the two Koreas deteriorated
Tensions have risen over the past month since North Korea carried out a fourth nuclear test in early January.
"All our support and efforts... were taken advantage of by the North to develop its nuclear weapons and missile programmes," the South's Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo told reporters.
The announcement came amid reports that the North's military chief, Ri Yong-gil, had been executed on corruption charges.
South Korea's state news agency Yonhap quoted unnamed sources saying the general, who was appointed in 2013, had been deemed guilty of corruption and pursuing personal gains.
There was no confirmation of the report.
Kaesong map

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