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SKorea suspends construction of transmission tower in NKorea
Seoul (AFP) Jul 24, 2006 South Korea's state electricity monopoly said Monday it has postponed construction of a power transmission tower in North Korea due to tension over its missile tests. Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) was to hold a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for the tower capable of transmitting 100,000 kilowatts of electricity from South Korea to an industrial complex in North Korea's border city of Kaesong. "But we decided to put off the ceremony due to strained inter-Korean relations over North Korea's missile firing and other negative factors," KEPCO chief Han Joon-Ho told reporters. North Korea test-fired seven ballistic missiles on July 5 in defiance of international appeals, leading the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution imposing limited weapons-related sanctions on the communist state. South Korea suspended rice and fertilizer aid to North Korea. In response, North Korea scrapped cross-border family reunions on the divided peninsula, accusing South Korea of siding with its Western allies in the standoff over the missile launches. Family reunions are a pressing issue in Korea as more and more people are dying without seeing long-lost relatives on the other side of the heavily fortified border. The peninsula was divided politically in 1948, a split that was cemented by the 1950-53 Korean war. The two nations have yet to sign a peace treaty following the end of the conflict. Last week North Korea withdrew all its government officials from a joint dialogue office in Kaesong, cutting off the last direct channel for communications with Seoul. Family reunions and the Kaesong project have been a key part of reconciliation between the two Koreas since their landmark summit in 2000. South Korea is seeking to open up the North's closed society through the project, a complex using South Korean investment and the North's labour, but its position has been hurt by Pyongyang's missile tests. US officials believe the industrial complex helps North Korea earn hard currency which is then used to build up its nuclear and missile programs. The United States has refused to treat goods produced in the complex as South Korean-made products. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links
War-weary Beirut residents party as 'act of defiance'
Beirut (AFP) Jul 23, 2006 Queen's iconic anthem "We Will Rock You" takes on a new meaning when you hear it in a Beirut bar just a few kilometres from the booms of Israeli missiles. |
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