According to the Choson Ilbo:
North Korea on Sunday warned it will restrict or stop overland travel to the Kaesong Industrial Complex if South Korean activists send propaganda leaflets to the North. The North said it could limit travel “along the east and west coast” — the land routes used for tours to Mt. Kumgang and the Kaesong complex.
The head of a North Korean delegation to inter-Korean defense talks sent a letter to the South which read, “Despite our repeated requests, the South Korean government goaded and tacitly permitted activists to send propaganda leaflets that castigate our ideology and regime, small radios, US$1 bills and DVDs [via helium balloons] from May 1.”
A South Korean government official said this is the first time that North Korea clearly mentioned the possibility of shutting down the land route to the Kaesong complex. “It seems to be a preemptive action as we are reviewing sanctions against the North” following the sinking of the Navy corvette Cheonan and the seizure of South Korean property in Mt. Kumgang.
Additional Information
Pyongyang has previously used Kaesong as leverage over the RoK government to prevent activists from sending balloons across the DMZ.
The Kaesong Zone was previously “closed” to South Koreans during contentious wage negotiations.
