Koreas hold talks on light industry

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Jury system next year for criminal cases Koreas hold talks on light industry South and North Korea will open working-level talks today on cooperation in light industry ...

Koreas hold talks on light industry

남북한, 경공업 회담 개최

South and North Korea will open working-level talks today on cooperation in light industry and natural resource development at the inter-Korean economic cooperation center in Gaeseong. The Unification Ministry said the talks will be held for three days and will focus on the details of South Korea's provision of raw materials and the development of underground resources in the North. The working-level talks follow the 13th inter-Korean economic cooperation meeting last month in Pyongyang. The cooperation in light industry was first agreed to at the 12th inter-Korean economic cooperation meeting in June last year. The agreement says that South Korea would provide some $80 million worth of raw materials badly needed by the destitute state to manufacture garments, shoes and soaps. North Korea is to repay 3 percent of the raw material provision in the form of minerals such as zinc. The interest rate was set at a generous 1 percent. The project had been shelved due to North Korea's missile launches and nuclear device detonation in July and October the same year. At the latest talks, the two Koreas agreed to "adopt a revised and complemented accord on South-North Cooperation in Light Industry and Natural Resource Development." Based on the accord, South will provide raw materials for light industry to the North starting from June in return for future payment, and the North will cooperate in allowing the South to make an onsite visit to the envisioned development sites as well as obtain necessary documents. South Korea has been preparing for the cooperation by setting up an organization last month to support the project. The organization will be conducting a large-scale survey on light industries and underground resources, according to the Unification Ministry. The future of the countries co-development of light industry and resources is also connected with the success of another pending inter-Korean project, to test-run two cross-border railways. The test-run, which requires a security guarantee, has been delayed due to apparent opposition from the North Korean military authorities. The two Koreas renewed their agreement last month to test-run the railways on May 17. By Lee Joo-hee