SEOUL, April 4 – North Korea on Thursday maintained its entry ban on South Korean workers and cargo wanting to go to the inter-Korean industrial park in Kaesong, despite Seoul’s calls to lift the passage restrictions, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported, quoting checkpoint authorities as saying.
The Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Office in Paju, about 50 kilometres northwest of Seoul, said entry has been blocked again for the second day and only those currently in Kaesong can return home. It said of the 828 people who stayed overnight at the complex, 222 people and 137 vehicles are expected to cross over the demilitarised zone (DMZ) that separates the two Koreas during the day.
Pyongyang first announced sanctions on the South Koreans from entering the industrial park on Wednesday, which saw only 33 returned over the DMZ. Normal operations took place at Kaesong, although work will likely be affected if no materials and parts are allowed to reach the 123 factories run by South Korean companies.
BERNAMA
