South Korea to offer talks with North on Gaeseong wages

South Korea said Friday it will soon propose talks with North Korea on ways to set the wages for the North's workers at the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

   "The government has plans to offer consultations with the North in the near future in order to resolve the issue," the unification ministry's deputy spokeswoman, Park Soo-jin, told reporters. "The timing has not been decided yet."

   The South is upset about the North's unilateral decision to amend the wage system for its 53,000 workers at the joint venture just north of inter-Korean border.

   Early this month, the North announced that it would scrap the 5-percent cap on wage increases. It also announced plans to relax requirements for overtime and severance pay.

   The South maintains that such matters should be decided through inter-Korean dialogue.

   Earlier this week, a group of South Korea businessmen with factories in Kaesong filed a formal complaint with the North over the issue.

   Regarding the broader issue of inter-Korean relations, the ministry official reiterated that Seoul is closely watching Pyongyang's attitude.

   A cautious optimism has been revived here following a Dec. 24 meeting in Kaesong between Kim Yang-gon, the top North Korean official in charge of South Korean affairs, and representatives from the Kim Dae Jung Peace Center.

   Kim was quoted as saying that he understands the Park Geun-hye administration's seriousness about improving Seoul-Pyongyang ties and that he hopes to see improved relations between the two sides. (Yonhap)