Yonhap
5/2/2007
South Korea on Wednesday proposed a joint survey of two North Korean mines in part of efforts to facilitate cross-border economic exchanges, a South Korean official said.
The proposal was made when working officials of the two Koreas met in the North Korean border city of Kaesong to discuss the South’s agreement to provide the North with raw materials in return for natural resources, said the official at the Unification Ministry.
The South suggested the two Koreas conduct a joint exploration of mines in the mountains of Ryongyang and Geomdeok, both in the North’s northeast Hamkyong Province, the official said on condition of anonymity.
“The two mines are the best place for cooperative projects for underground resources both economically and geographically,” the official said, adding Ryongyang is rich in magnesite and Geomdeok in lead and zinc.
Last month, South Korea agreed to provide raw materials worth US$80 million to the North to help it produce clothing, footwear and soap in exchange for its natural resources. Wednesday’s meeting was the first of two-day talks, with both sides sending an eight-member delegation.
The two Koreas reached a similar swapping agreement in 2005, but it has never been implemented amid the North Korean nuclear dispute.
