Still No Word from N.Korea About Kaesong Talks

North Korea has still given no answer to South Korea's last proposal to resume talks on reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

The Unification Ministry on Tuesday said officials from the two sides exchanged a final phone call via the inter-Korean hotline at 4 p.m. without any mention of Seoul's proposal for another round of talks.

South Korea reiterated its calls for a swift response from Pyongyang, warning of "grave measures" if the proposal is rejected. It has yet to clarify what those measures might be, but it is apparently resigned to a complete shutdown of the inter-Korean industrial park.

The two Koreas held six rounds of working-level talks this month on ways to reopen Kaesong, but have been unable to narrow their differences. Seoul is demanding safeguards against future closures before reopening the complex, while Pyongyang is pushing for an immediate, unconditional resumption of operations.

The factory zone has been closed for more than three months, since the North unilaterally withdrew all of its workers amid an escalation of inter-Korean tensions.