South Korea offers ‘final’ Kaesong talks

South Korea has proposed “final talks” on restarting operations at the joint Kaesong industrial zone, amid deadlock with North Korea.

The zone has been closed since April, when North Korea withdrew its workers.

The two sides have held six rounds of talks on a restart, but are deadlocked on Seoul’s insistence that Pyongyang agree not to unilaterally close the complex again.

On Sunday Seoul’s unification minister said a written guarantee was needed.

“We want a clear answer from the North on preventing a recurrence,” Ryoo Kihl-jae said.

“Otherwise, we will be left with no choice but to make a grave decision to prevent even bigger damages on our companies in the future.”

North Korea blames the shut-down on South Korean provocations, including military exercises.

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