Inter-Korean Talks Underway on Internet Connection at Joint Complex

SEOUL, Feb. 7 (Yonhap) -- South and North Korea launched a working-level meeting Friday about Internet connectivity at their joint industrial park in the North’s border city of Kaesong, Seoul’s unification ministry said.

Inter-Korean discussions have been under way to boost the Kaesong Industrial Complex, with a focus on launching Internet services at the park, along with how to make South Koreans' access to the park easier and to simplify the customs process for products produced there.

“The two sides are planning to continue discussions on technical issues regarding Internet connectivity,” Seoul’s unification ministry spokesman Kim Eui-do said during a regular briefing.

The sub-panel meeting of the joint Kaesong management committee last took place in January. The committee is responsible for reforming the transit and communication rules at the industrial complex.

Of the three key issues, how to make the Internet services available at the joint park in the reclusive country was the most challenging one, according to officials. Seoul has demanded that South Korean firms be in charge of the system, while the North has proposed the opposite. 

As for the entry to the factory park, the two countries agreed upon the establishment of the radio frequency identification system, which has been on a pilot run since last month.

The joint industrial park of Kaesong, the last-remaining symbol of inter-Korean economic cooperation, is home to some 120 South Korean companies that hire more than 44,600 North Koreans.

The project serves as a major legitimate revenue source for the impoverished socialist country.