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| The Kaesong Industrial Complex between South Korea and North Korea, now closed. (Source: Wikipedia) |
"The two sides agreed to sternly respond to any provocations from Pyongyang under a strong combined defense posture between Seoul and Washington while closely monitoring the possibility of additional North Korean provocations," the South Korean Foreign Ministry said in a press release.
The two sides also agreed to step up efforts to prevent Pyongyang from developing nuclear weapons and reiterated their call on the international community to promote the thorough implementation of UN Security Council resolutions, including the repatriation of North Korean workers abroad.
Later in the day, Mr. Kim is scheduled to meet his Japanese counterpart Takehiro Funakoshi to discuss North Korea. The three top nuclear envoys will also hold a trilateral meeting on April 7.
On the same day, the South Korean Unification Ministry said that the country will take necessary steps if Pyongyang does not respond to Seoul's call to stop the illegal use of the now-closed Kaesong joint industrial complex in North Korea.
"North Korea's operation of factories in the joint industrial complex without Seoul's permission would constitute a clear violation of South Korean businessmen's property rights and a related inter-Korean agreement," a ministry official said.
According to the official, North Korea should "immediately stop its actions. If they do not respond to Seoul's call, the government will take necessary steps on the grounds that Pyongyang admits to illegally using that complex."
The call from the South Korean Unification Ministry came as the Rodong Sinmun , the mouthpiece of the North Korean Workers' Party, published photos of South Korean buses operating on the streets of Pyongyang on April 5.
These buses were used in the Kaesong Industrial Complex to transport North Korean workers before the complex was closed in 2016.
South Korea's Unification Ministry said it tried to notify North Korea of the suspension of the Kaesong complex's unauthorized use on April 5, but Pyongyang has yet to respond.
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