Text Fwd: NK Calls for Increased Exchanges With South

* Korea Times
10-03-2009 22:05
NK Calls for Increased Exchanges With South

A North Korean newspaper called Saturday for increased inter-Korean exchanges and cooperative projects with the South, underscoring the need to carry out accords reached by leaders of the two countries in the past.

In an editorial in the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the North's Workers' Party, the North emphasized the need for the two Koreas to "expand and develop exchange and cooperation in various areas," according to Uriminzokkiri, the official Web site of North Korea.

On the other hand, trade and other commercial exchanges between the two Koreas fell more than 20 percent in the first eight months of 2009 from a year ago due to frayed inter-Korean relations, Yonhap quoted a lawmaker as saying.

The two Koreas' trade in the January-August period came to $923 million, down 24 percent from the $1.22 billion tallied in the same period last year, Rep. Noh Young-min of the main opposition Democratic Party said, citing a report he received from the Unification Ministry.

Inter-Korean trade, which stood at $1.06 billion in 2005, climbed to $1.8 billion in 2008, but fell substantially since the conservative President Lee Myung-bak came to power last year, according to Noh.

Since Lee was sworn into office, the Seoul government has maintained a tougher stance on the North's nuclear drive, halting state aid to the impoverished North.

Noh also pointed out that the accumulated deficit of 89 South Korean companies operating factories at a joint complex run in the North snowballed to $33.8 million following traffic restrictions imposed by the North last December.

The North lifted the cross-border traffic restriction just last month.


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2009/10/03 05:50 KST
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