SEOUL, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- North Korea still had no response Thursday to South Korea's proposal four days ago for talks on resuming joint operation of an industrial park in the north.
Delegates from both nations have been holding talks, using a telephone line that runs through Panmunjom, a village in the demilitarized zone on the Korean border. When contact was opened at 9 a.m. the North said it had no message to give the South about resuming production at the park, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Six rounds of talks between the two countries ended in July without agreement on restarting production at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, just over the border in North Korea, where South Korean companies hire low-wage workers in an arrangement that provides North Korea with an estimated $90 million annually.
South Korean unification minister Ryoo Kihl-jae warned Sunday the South would take "grave" measures if the North does not resume negotiations, which have been stalled by Seoul's demand the North provide safeguards to prevent any future closures of the facility.
South Korea has not set any deadlines for a response, but ministry officials have said they would not wait indefinitely.
The North has not agreed to the safeguards, but demanded work at the complex resume immediately.
