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                 Inter-Korean Talks in Kaesong End Without Deal

   by Eunjee Kim

   Talks between North and South Korea over a wage dispute at the Kaesong
   Industrial Complex have ended without an agreement.

   A five-member delegation from each side met at the complex Thursday.
   The meeting marked the first government-to-government talks between the
   two sides over the management of the complex this year.

   The two sides have held several rounds of talks for nearly 12 hours
   over a wide range of issues, including the wage dispute, but failed to
   reach a deal. Details of the talks were not known, but the two sides
   could not narrow differences over the wage dispute, according to South
   Korean officials who participated in the talks. The two sides have not
   set a date for the next meeting.

   Lee Sang-min, head of the South Korean delegation and director-general
   of Inter-Korean Cooperation District Policy Planning Directorate, told
   reporters after the talks that the wage dispute was a key sticking
   point. The North stuck to its previous position that it should make
   decisions about wage increases for its workers. The South maintains
   such decisions should be made mutual agreement, citing an inter-Korean
   agreement.

   The two sides also differed over the South's proposal to streamline
   procedures for passage to and from the facility, communications, and
   customs at the inter-Korean border. The South has been seeking the
   revisions to achieve what it says is a necessary step for the
   development of the complex. The North, however, was reluctant to
   address the South's proposal, according to Lee.

   The talks started smoothly, with the head of each delegation expressing
   hope for improved bilateral ties.

   "If we engage in this negotiation with sincerity while putting our
   heads together, we believe that it would be possible for us to resolve
   all the issues for the normalization and development of the Kaesong
   Industrial Complex," said Lee.

   The head of the North Korean delegation welcomed the remarks.

   "It is believed that this sixth round of the joint committee meeting
   today can act as a welcome rain after a drought and provide a great
   opportunity for dialogue, which was sincerely desired by our people and
   industrialists who want revitalization of the industrial complex," said
   Park Chul Soo, vice chief of the Guidance Bureau for the Development of
   the Central Special Economic Zone, who led the North Korean delegation.

   The two sides have been at odds over the wage increase since November
   2014, when the North unilaterally revised labor regulations recognized
   by the two sides to allow wage increases for its workers at the
   complex. In February, the North demanded the monthly minimum wage for
   the workers be raised from $70.35 to $74. The South rejected the
   demand.

   The rare talks raised hope of a possible thaw in relations between two
   Koreas.

   Recently, tensions between the two sides have heightened over the
   establishment of a United Nations human rights office in the South. The
   office opened in Seoul last month to monitor North Korean human rights.

   Jee Abbey Lee contributed to this report.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/inter-korean-talks-kaesong-end-without-deal/2865993.html