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North Korea on Wednesday suspended all further reunions of families separated by the Korean War, canceling a reunion via video link planned for Aug. 15 and halting construction of a reunion center at the Mt.Kumgang resort. The move comes in retaliation for South Korea¡¯s refusal to provide promised rice and fertilizer aid after the North¡¯s missile tests on July 5.
¡°The South in the 19th round of inter-Korean ministerial talks unilaterally refused to provide rice and fertilizer, an inter-Korean humanitarian project,¡± the head of the North Korean Red Cross, Jang Jae-on, said in a letter to Seoul. The North last week stormed out of the disastrous talks over the issue.
¡°There will be no more family reunions between the two Koreas and no discussion on humanitarian issues,¡± Jang wrote. ¡°A special family reunion event planned for Aug. 15, the nation¡¯s Independence Day, via video link and construction of a family reunion center at Mt.Kumgang have become impossible.¡±
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Families part after the 14th reunion of families separated by the Korean War at North Korea¡¯s Mt. Kumgang resort on Tuesday.
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The North said it had hoped inter-Korean ¡°cooperation projects for humanitarian purposes¡± would continue ¡°within our people¡¯s ideological framework¡± but blamed Seoul for setting up ¡°a serious stumbling block¡± to the future of such projects. ¡°This constitutes a betrayal of our people, tantamount to selling off inter-Korean humanitarian projects to the U.S. and Japan, who have become deeply hostile to us and stirred up trouble with their sanctions against us.¡± It added the South was entirely responsible for the consequences of actions ¡°which ignore the humanitarian situation and betray the Korean people.¡±
A Unification Ministry spokesman, Yang Chang-seok, expressed regret at the letter but added it was more or less expected. ¡°We feel sorry for members of separated families,¡± he added. ¡°We will make utmost efforts to resume separated family unions, and hope that North Korea, too, makes efforts to improve the situation so that assistance to the country can resume.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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