Seoul, August 7 (Yonhap) - The Seoul government accepted the past Wednesday the North Korean proposal to hold next week the seventh round of talks to normalize the operations of the Kaesong industrial complex, which has been suspended for the past four months.
The Unification Ministry said Pyongyang's proposal to hold working-level talks on 14 August can be viewed positively.
"Seoul sees the latter proposal on talks as North's response to repeated requests for dialogue in Seoul," said ministry spokesman Kim Hyung-suk. "We expect the North to take part in the dialogue in a serious way, so you can contribute to the constructive development of complex," said the spokesman.
Kim added that the format of the talks will be equal to those of the past, but said details of what will be discussed not be made public at this time.
All operations Kaesong industrial park have been detained since early April, after the North withdrew all its 53,000 resort workers amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula.
On Wednesday afternoon, the North proposed to hold a new round of talks on the Kaesong complex on August 14, after more than a week of silence on Seoul to demand talks "final" to resolve all outstanding issues surrounding Kaesong operations.
Through a statement, the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland North Korea (CPRK, according to its acronym in English) said his Government decisions, such as lifting the temporary suspension of operations of the Kaesong industrial complex, allowing South Korean firms to enter the estate, ensuring the safety of employees and staff Koreans in Kaesong and protect their assets, and ensure normal operation under the condition of not repeating the unilateral closure of the complex, according to the Central News Agency of Korea North (KCNA).
The temporary ban on operations, announced by the North on April 8, will rise, and allow normal entry to the complex, said the CPRK.
The North Korean proposal came a few hours after the South Korean government decided to authorize 280.9 billion won (251.2 million dollars) in insurance payments to South Korean companies have factories in the Kaesong industrial complex suspended or provided services such signatures.
