South Korea proposed during an inter-Korean meeting on Thursday the establishment of an inter-Korean committee to monitor the safety of South Koreans residing in North Korea.
The Unification Ministry says that during the meeting in the North, Seoul also urged the North to immediately withdraw restrictions on South Koreans’ entry into the joint-run South-North Gaeseong Industrial Complex. Seoul also included a call for discussions related to border passage, inter-Korean communications and customs.
North Korea, meanwhile, told the South that starting next year, it will charge a land-use fee of five to ten U.S. dollars per three-point-three square meters of land used by South Korean companies operating at the Gaeseong business park.
The South said the matter must be discussed by the Gaeseong complex management committee based on real estate regulations before a decision can be made.
The two Koreas had previously agreed that South Korean firms would begin paying land-use fees to the North in 2015.