https://www.scmp.com/rss/186353/feed Kaesong is a special administrative region of North Korea formed in 2002 featuring the Kaesong Industrial Park, a collaborative economic development zone with South Korea. The park is located 10 kilometres north of the Korean Demilitarised Zone and allows South Korean companies to employ cheap skilled labour whilst providing North Korea with an important source of foreign currency. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s influential sister has delivered a scathing warning to the South’s government after drones were reportedly flown across the border earlier this month. Kim Yo-jong, de facto spokeswoman for the ruling Workers’ Party, denounced South Korea’s leaders as a “gang of hooligans” and said the recent drone incidents had reinforced Pyongyang’s view that inter-Korean relations were fundamentally hostile. In a statement released on Sunday via the official Korean Central... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339529/why-north-koreas-gang-hooligans-rebuke-signals-freeze-inter-korean-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339529/why-north-koreas-gang-hooligans-rebuke-signals-freeze-inter-korean-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 02:07:45 +0000 For Zhang Yue, a 29-year-old marketing specialist from Fuzhou in southeastern China, news reports about North Korea had painted a picture of a country vastly different from other travel destinations. “I think many people have stereotypes about travelling there with worries about whether it’s dangerous, or view it as a somewhat ‘special’ or ‘niche’ destination for something like an adventurous experience,” she said. “I hope to have the opportunity to see it with my own eyes.” Like Zhang, many... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3277009/will-chinese-tourists-be-eager-explore-north-korea-travel-resumes-december?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3277009/will-chinese-tourists-be-eager-explore-north-korea-travel-resumes-december?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Sep 2024 09:35:08 +0000 North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly has voted to scrap all agreements with South Korea on promoting economic cooperation, the North’s official news agency reported on Thursday, as the two Koreas’ ties continue to deteriorate. The assembly, which takes formal steps to adopt policy decisions of the ruling Workers’ Party, also voted to abolish laws governing economic ties with Seoul, including the special law on the operation of the Mount Kumgang tourism project. The tours to the scenic... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3251385/north-korea-scraps-all-economic-cooperation-south-further-blow-inter-korea-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3251385/north-korea-scraps-all-economic-cooperation-south-further-blow-inter-korea-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Feb 2024 07:03:15 +0000 North Korea claimed on Friday the country’s first Covid-19 outbreak began with patients touching “alien things” near the border with South Korea, apparently shifting blame to the neighbour for the wave of infections that hit the isolated country. Announcing results of an investigation, the North ordered people to “vigilantly deal with alien things coming by wind and other climate phenomena and balloons in the areas along the demarcation line and borders,” the official KCNA news agency said. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3183741/north-korea-blames-covid-19-outbreak-alien-things-near-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3183741/north-korea-blames-covid-19-outbreak-alien-things-near-south?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jun 2022 23:34:48 +0000 North Korea hosted a small trail running race in 2015 – open to foreign runners – and as the country seeks to promote inbound adventure and sports tourism, more such races are expected to follow. There are also signs of North Korean elite road runners trying mountain running; last year a relay mountain race was held outside Pyongyang with the country’s top sports clubs taking part. North Korea is a country of marathon runners. Jang Song-ok won the women’s marathon at the 1999 World Athletics... https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/3117258/trail-running-north-korea-could-take-after-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/outdoor/trail-running/article/3117258/trail-running-north-korea-could-take-after-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jan 2021 00:00:06 +0000 The Philippines on Thursday recorded another jump in coronavirus cases to overtake neighbouring Indonesia as the country with the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 infections in Southeast Asia. A recent surge in cases of the virus in and around the capital Manila has pushed authorities to reimpose a lockdown affecting around a quarter of the country’s 107 million people. The Philippines recorded 3,561 new infections on Thursday, taking its total confirmed cases to 119,460. That is higher than... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3096270/coronavirus-latest-india-reports-deadliest-day-asian?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3096270/coronavirus-latest-india-reports-deadliest-day-asian?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Aug 2020 06:15:16 +0000 Last week, a 24-year-old defector returned to North Korea the same way he left in 2017, authorities say, but with a coronavirus pandemic raging in the background this time, his illicit trip drew far more attention. South Korea has identified the man only by his surname, Kim, and said he was the “runaway” who North Korea accuses of illegally crossing their shared border last week with symptoms of Covid-19. Facing a sexual assault investigation, Kim evaded hi-tech South Korean border control... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3095074/north-korean-defector-who-swam-south-across-river-returned-same?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3095074/north-korean-defector-who-swam-south-across-river-returned-same?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jul 2020 22:00:22 +0000 It has been more than a decade since North Korean defector Park Sang-hak began releasing large gas-filled balloons carrying contraband into the sky over the country of his birth. The 52-year-old is a member of an activist group for defectors calling themselves Fighters for Free North Korea, which carried out 12 such releases last year alone. Seoul urges Pyongyang to return to dialogue after military action threat In their latest they sent half a million leaflets, 1,000 USB sticks and 50 booklets... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3089874/defectors-whose-airborne-propaganda-enraged-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3089874/defectors-whose-airborne-propaganda-enraged-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jun 2020 23:15:07 +0000 Five months after Seoul shut down a jointly run industrial park in North Korea, South Korean factory owners are still waging a defiant campaign to reopen what was the last major symbol of inter-Korean cooperation. The shock closure of the Kaesong complex in early February forced businessmen behind the 124 South Korean plants operating there to abandon everything. What has remained is a bitter resentment towards the South Korean government over its handling of the affair, and a feeling among the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1988548/south-korean-businessmen-remain-bitter-about-governments-empty?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1988548/south-korean-businessmen-remain-bitter-about-governments-empty?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Jul 2016 00:34:01 +0000 In an impoverished nation, and just a few minutes' drive from the world's most heavily armed border, stands an unlikely outpost of capitalism. The Kaesong industrial complex inside North Korea is a critical asset for South Korea. At a time when Chinese are free to invest in North Korea, sparking some fears in Seoul of economic colonisation, Kaesong represents the South's only economic foothold inside its estranged neighbour. It also represents a blueprint for the possible rejuvenation of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1386568/glimpse-inside-kaesong-north-koreas-curious-capitalist-outpost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1386568/glimpse-inside-kaesong-north-koreas-curious-capitalist-outpost?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Dec 2013 04:30:15 +0000 South Korean businessmen crossed into North Korea yesterday as the joint Kaesong industrial zone reopened five months after it was closed by soaring military tensions and threats of war. In the most tangible outcome to date of recent efforts to improve inter-Korean relations, dozens of cars, trucks and factory managers crossed the border shortly after 8.30am. Video: Inter-Korean industrial zone reopens “I hope we can work together well again, just like before,” said the 50-year-old manager of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1310732/two-koreas-restart-operations-kaesong-industrial-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1310732/two-koreas-restart-operations-kaesong-industrial-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Sep 2013 01:54:28 +0000 North and South Korea held the first meeting yesterday of a committee tasked with reopening their Kaesong joint industrial zone - five months after it was shut down amid soaring military tensions. The committee, comprising five officials from each side, sat down for talks in Kaesong at 10am, with the initial agenda focused on the timing for reopening the complex. "We will try our best to reinvent Kaesong as an internationally competitive industrial complex where our firms can operate with no... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1302142/two-koreas-begin-talks-reopening-kaesong-joint-industrial-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1302142/two-koreas-begin-talks-reopening-kaesong-joint-industrial-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Sep 2013 16:00:00 +0000 North and South Korea reached an agreement yesterday to reopen the Kaesong joint industrial zone - closed by Pyongyang in April at the height of soaring military tensions. A five-point agreement that came out of a seventh round of talks committed both sides to making "active efforts" to resume normal operations as soon as possible after inspecting shuttered plants. A joint panel will discuss compensation for economic losses suffered as a result of the complex's closure. The agreement will help... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1296643/koreas-hold-crucial-talks-factory-complex?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1296643/koreas-hold-crucial-talks-factory-complex?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Aug 2013 06:12:09 +0000 South Korean businessmen called for the Koreas to strike a deal on the reopening of the Kaesong joint industrial zone, in a statement released on the eve of last-ditch talks. The Kaesong complex, which houses 123 South Korean firms, has been closed since Pyongyang pulled its 53,000-strong workforce out in April as military tensions soared on the divided peninsula. Six rounds of talks on resuming operations made no progress and a seventh round on Wednesday is being touted as a last-chance... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1296355/south-korea-businessmen-call-kaesong-deal-eve-last-ditch-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1296355/south-korea-businessmen-call-kaesong-deal-eve-last-ditch-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Aug 2013 07:00:14 +0000 South Korea has proposed "final" talks with the North over the fate of the shuttered Kaesong joint industrial zone, suggesting it may permanently close the estate if the negotiations fail. The latest offer came after six recent rounds of talks aimed at reviving the Seoul-invested complex in North Korea produced few signs of progress. "We are offering the final talks to discuss the issue (of Kaesong)," said Ryoo Kihl-Jae, Seoul's unification minister in charge of cross-border affairs. Seoul would... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1292715/south-korea-offers-final-talks-kaesong-joint-industrial-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1292715/south-korea-offers-final-talks-kaesong-joint-industrial-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 North Korea on Friday blasted South Korea’s “arrogant” attitude after talks on salvaging the jointly-run Kaesong industrial zone collapsed, sparking a shoving match between officials from both sides. The North also accused the South of using “delaying tactics” by demanding that Pyongyang take responsibility for the closure of the estate and compensate for financial losses. The South side persisted in its arrogant stand, pushing the talks to the point of stalemate Korean Central News... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1291231/shoving-match-korean-talks-kaesong-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1291231/shoving-match-korean-talks-kaesong-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jul 2013 07:16:56 +0000 South Korea said talks with North Korea on reopening a jointly-run industrial estate ended without agreement on Wednesday, but the two sides agreed to meet again next week. The South’s chief delegate Suh Ho said talks on restarting the Kaesong industrial complex’s mothballed factories would continue on July 15, after about four hours of meetings that started on Wednesday morning. “We both agreed that the complex should be maintained and further developed,” Suh told reporters at the site just... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1279669/koreas-end-talks-without-deal-schedule-new-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1279669/koreas-end-talks-without-deal-schedule-new-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jul 2013 12:25:52 +0000 North and South Korea started talks on Wednesday on reopening a jointly run industrial zone, Seoul’s Unification Ministry said, with the complex seen as the last remaining symbol of cross-border reconciliation. South Korean delegates met their Pyongyang counterparts in North Korea for the sensitive meeting aimed at restarting the site’s mothballed factories, but the two sides remain far apart over who was to blame for the closure. The fresh talks follow a rare weekend meeting in which the two... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1279418/two-koreas-start-fresh-talks-joint-kaesong-industrial-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1279418/two-koreas-start-fresh-talks-joint-kaesong-industrial-site?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Jul 2013 03:11:51 +0000 North and South Korea have agreed to allow factory managers from the South to return to a jointly operated industrial park in the North for the first time in two months, but they said more talks were needed before the park, a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation, could be reopened. The South Korean factory managers will be allowed to visit the park, the Kaesong Industrial Zone, in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, from Wednesday to retrieve finished goods and production materials. They also... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1277253/two-koreas-agree-allow-managers-return-kaesong-industrial-park?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1277253/two-koreas-agree-allow-managers-return-kaesong-industrial-park?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jul 2013 03:19:45 +0000 North and South Korea held rare talks yesterday on reopening a joint industrial zone seen as the last remaining symbol of cross-border reconciliation. But the meeting showed early signs of faltering, with two sides talking across each other over what to discuss first. The talks - delayed by nearly two hours - follow months of friction and threats of war from Pyongyang after its February nuclear test led to tougher UN sanctions, further squeezing its struggling economy. The Kaesong industrial... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1276655/north-and-south-korea-hold-rare-talks-joint-industrial-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1276655/north-and-south-korea-hold-rare-talks-joint-industrial-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jul 2013 05:45:04 +0000 South Korea on Monday dismissed an “incomprehensible” list of North Korean demands for reviving suspended operations at a jointly-run industrial park. The Kaesong Industrial Complex, opened north of the border in 2004 as a rare symbol of co-operation, has been shut indefinitely with the withdrawal of all North and South Korean workers amid soaring military tensions. On Sunday, the North’s National Defence Commission led by leader Kim Jong-un said re-starting the complex would require the South... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1231305/south-korea-rejects-incomprehensible-north-demands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1231305/south-korea-rejects-incomprehensible-north-demands?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 May 2013 03:27:55 +0000 South Korea said on Wednesday it was edging towards a deal with North Korea to ensure the return of the remaining workers at a joint industrial zone that has become a casualty of military tensions. The Kaesong industrial complex – built 10 kilometres north of the tense border in 2004 – was once a rare symbol of inter-Korean cooperation but now faces the possibility of permanent closure. South Korea had been due to pull out its remaining workers on Monday but seven remained to settle unresolved... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1227489/south-korea-sees-progress-workers-return-north?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1227489/south-korea-sees-progress-workers-return-north?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 May 2013 06:55:48 +0000 South Korea was due on Monday to pull out its last workers from a joint factory zone in North Korea – a rare symbol of cross-border cooperation now crippled by a tense military stand-off. The move raises the prospect of the permanent closure of the Kaesong complex, the last point of contact between the two Koreas and a key source of income for Kim Jong-un’s isolated regime. South Korean companies with factories at the site have expressed shock at the sudden evacuation, which saw 126 workers... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1225959/last-south-korean-workers-leave-kaesong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1225959/last-south-korean-workers-leave-kaesong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:04:20 +0000 South Korea on Thursday offered North Korea formal talks on suspended operations at their joint Kaesong industrial zone, and hinted it might pull out entirely if Pyongyang declines. The South said it was offering working-level talks to resolve the impasse over Kaesong, a rare symbol of inter-Korean cooperation that has become the most notable victim of escalating military tensions on the Korean peninsula. But the offer came with an ultimatum of unspecified “significant measures” if Pyongyang... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1222655/south-korea-offers-north-talks-over-kaesong-warns-refusal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1222655/south-korea-offers-north-talks-over-kaesong-warns-refusal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:09:57 +0000 UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged North Korea on Wednesday to “seriously” consider an offer of dialogue from the South concerning the future of the closed Kaesong industrial zone. North Korea has blocked access to Kaesong – which lies 10 kilometres inside its border – since April 3 amid soaring military tensions on the Korean peninsula. “I firmly believe that the recent offer of dialogue by the Republic of Korea is genuine and hope that the DPRK takes it seriously,” said Ban, a former... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1217254/uns-ban-ki-moon-urges-north-korea-consider-souths-dialogue-offer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1217254/uns-ban-ki-moon-urges-north-korea-consider-souths-dialogue-offer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Apr 2013 02:07:13 +0000 North Korea barred a delivery of supplies to South Koreans in the closed Kaesong industrial zone yesterday, as the South's president said it was time to stop rewarding Pyongyang's provocations. A delegation of 10 businessmen representing the 123 South Korean firms in Kaesong had applied to travel to the zone to bring food and other daily necessities to their staff and to inspect their facilities. "North Korea informed us that the request for a visit ... had been turned down," said Unification... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1216973/north-korea-stops-south-korean-bosses-taking-food-their-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1216973/north-korea-stops-south-korean-bosses-taking-food-their-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 North Korea on Wednesday barred a delegation of South Korean businessmen from delivering food and supplies to 200 of their staff inside the closed Kaesong joint industrial zone. Ten representatives of the 123 South Korean firms in Kaesong had applied for permission to visit the zone, two weeks after the North blocked all access amid soaring military tensions on the Korean peninsula. “Moments ago, North Korea informed us that the request for a visit by 10 representatives of the business companies... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1216681/north-korea-bars-south-delegation-joint-zone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1216681/north-korea-bars-south-delegation-joint-zone?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:00:14 +0000 North Korea dismissed on Sunday the South’s offer for dialogue on the future of the Kaesong joint industrial zone, calling the offer an “empty” political gesture. The North announced the withdrawal of its 53,000 workers and the suspension of operations at Kaesong at the beginning of the week, as military tensions on the Korean peninsula soared. Seoul on Thursday called for Pyongyang to “come to the dialogue table” to revive the complex, a rare symbol of cross-border economic co-operation and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1214471/north-korea-dismisses-souths-dialogue-offer-kaesong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1214471/north-korea-dismisses-souths-dialogue-offer-kaesong?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Apr 2013 07:33:04 +0000 North Korea on Thursday renewed a threat to permanently close its Kaesong joint industrial zone with South Korea, blaming the “confrontation” policies of the South’s new president, Park Geun-hye. Pyongyang announced the withdrawal of its 53,000 workers and the suspension of operations at Kaesong at the beginning of this week, as military tensions on the Korean peninsula soar. Park, who was sworn in at the end of February, described the move as “very disappointing” and warned the North it would... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1212135/pyongyang-blames-south-korean-leader-park-kaesong-closure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1212135/pyongyang-blames-south-korean-leader-park-kaesong-closure?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Apr 2013 05:19:58 +0000 The Korean Peninsula was headed for "thermonuclear war" and foreigners should consider leaving South Korea, Pyongyang said yesterday. The United Nations chief warned of a potentially "uncontrollable" situation. Greeted largely with indifference, yesterday's advice from the North follows a similar warning last week to embassies in Pyongyang - to consider evacuating by April 10 as war may break out. "The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching close to a thermonuclear war," the Asia-Pacific... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1211080/nations-shrug-north-koreas-thermonuclear-war-warning?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/1211080/nations-shrug-north-koreas-thermonuclear-war-warning?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 North Korea said on Tuesday the Korean Peninsula was headed for “thermonuclear” war and advised foreigners in South Korea to consider evacuation, in the latest in a series of apocalyptic threats. The warning followed a similar evacuation advisory the North gave on Friday to foreign embassies in its capital Pyongyang, saying it could not ensure the safety of their personnel if a conflict broke out. The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inching close to a thermonuclear war “The situation on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1210757/north-korea-urges-foreigners-south-evacuate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1210757/north-korea-urges-foreigners-south-evacuate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:38:41 +0000 North Korea’s decision to pull its workers out of the Kaesong joint industrial zone and suspend all commercial operations at the complex “cannot be justified,” South Korea said on Monday. “North Korea’s unilateral decision to push ahead with this measure cannot be justified in any way and North Korea will be held responsible for all the consequences,” the Unification Ministry’s spokesman said in a statement. “The Korean government will calmly but firmly handle North Korea’s indiscreet action... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1209883/south-korea-slams-unjustifiable-north-action-kaesong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1209883/south-korea-slams-unjustifiable-north-action-kaesong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Apr 2013 05:38:13 +0000 Most parents would probably hesitate about allowing their children to visit a potential war zone. But the group of Hong Kong high school students who returned on Saturday from an eight-day tour of North Korea will have holiday stories better than anything their friends will have managed in Phuket or Singapore. Twenty-two students from Chinese International School watched teenagers practise military drills in Pyongyang, took photos with "friendly" soldiers in the demilitarised zone and stayed two... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1209501/hong-kong-students-return-eight-day-trip-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1209501/hong-kong-students-return-eight-day-trip-north-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 North Korea has found a new way of getting attention that stands out from its increasingly threatening rhetoric. Denying access to its joint industrial zone with the South may be shooting itself in the foot, but it escalates a military crisis beyond improbable and suicidal military threats against the US as well as South Korea. In previous crises, neither side has significantly involved the Kaesong industrial zone, a crucial source of hard currency for the North. Otherwise, Kim Jong-un, the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1207198/talks-essential-north-korea-stand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1207198/talks-essential-north-korea-stand?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000 For an indication of what is at stake in tomorrow's South Korean presidential election, just consider the progress involving North Korea over the past year. The door to the world's last Stalinist state is creaking open. Pyongyang is taking the first steps to implement an international deal to denuclearise, and in October leader Kim Jong-il met South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun - the first such exchange between leaders of the enemy states in seven years. Regular cross-border trains have just... https://www.scmp.com/article/620049/bracing-sea-change-policy-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/620049/bracing-sea-change-policy-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Dec 2007 16:00:00 +0000 The most tangible sign that relations between enemies are improving is when transport links are restored. Such has been the case with China and Vietnam, India and Pakistan and yesterday, North and South Korea. There was much symbolism in the cargo train that crossed the Korean border from South to North, heading for the jointly developed industrial zone at Kaesong. The daily, 16.5km round trip represents implementation of agreements, growing economic and diplomatic co-operation, aspirations for... https://www.scmp.com/article/619233/rail-link-small-step-towards-korean-unity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/619233/rail-link-small-step-towards-korean-unity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:00:00 +0000 For a guide to just how important trains are to South Korean strategic thinking, think of the country as a virtual island. On three sides is ocean. On the northern side is the 249km border with North Korea, one of the most fortified stretches of land anywhere. Nothing gets across it with any regularity, aside from passing flocks of migratory birds. South Korea is an industrial powerhouse, yet its island status means goods and materials have to be shipped or flown in and out. A fully functioning... https://www.scmp.com/article/617854/korean-rail-link-vital-bridge-virtual-isle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/617854/korean-rail-link-vital-bridge-virtual-isle?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Nov 2007 16:00:00 +0000 Joint venture plays down claims of exploitation as it woos investors While the international community has been engaged in diplomatic manoeuvrings to prevent a possible missile launch by Pyongyang, the wheels of industry have continued turning at a controversial industrial complex in the reclusive country that has been accused of worker exploitation. In vast, modern factories in Kaesong Industrial Park, just across from the demilitarised zone, more than 6,000 North Koreans produce ... https://www.scmp.com/article/554808/business-usual-despite-missile-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/554808/business-usual-despite-missile-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jun 2006 16:00:00 +0000 A public spat between Seoul and Washington over a flagship inter-Korean economic project has highlighted their deep divisions over the policy of economic co-operation with North Korea, straining the already tense relations between South Korea and its closest ally. Kaesong Industrial Park, located just north of the heavily fortified border dividing the peninsula, has been in operation for just over three years. In that time, it has attracted a handful of South Korean firms manufacturing goods... https://www.scmp.com/article/547811/seouls-factories-north-korea-make-trouble-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/547811/seouls-factories-north-korea-make-trouble-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 May 2006 16:00:00 +0000 More than 40 South Korean companies have applied to set up factories in a new industrial zone in the city of Dandong, which borders North Korea's proposed capitalist-style special administrative region (SAR). The director of the investment bureau of Dandong's eastern harbour, surnamed Yao, said yesterday that the city signed an agreement with the South Korean government in Seoul on Saturday to build the one square km zone close to the Yalu river, which forms the border with North Korea. 'The... https://www.scmp.com/article/393877/south-korean-firms-rush-border-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/393877/south-korean-firms-rush-border-city?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Oct 2002 16:00:00 +0000