| And I'll bet he's not being treated as well as the two American journalists. |
But the Unification Ministry said Tuesday it was able to make indirect contact with the man, identified only as Yoo, who was arrested on March 30 on charges of criticizing the North Korean regime, and he is still in Kaesong and safe. However, rumor at the Kaesong complex has it that he is no longer there.
"North Korea must understand the seriousness of this issue and show a positive attitude toward its resolution," Hyun said. Since the detention is a potential hazard for any firm and worker at the estate, he said, it is "an issue of the entire Kaesong Industrial Complex." He pointed out that Seoul for a month "was given no explanation why Yoo was detained and why he is being investigated, nor has it been able to see him or offer him legal assistance." "This is a very serious issue," he added.
The State Safety and Security Agency cadres who interrogated Yoo appear to have returned to Pyongyang, a government official said. "Though it is unknown whether the investigation is over or whether they went to the capital for instructions from their seniors, it's ominous that he keeps being held," said Prof. Lee Jo-won, a professor at Chung-Ang University. "If North Korea does not resolve the Yoo question, inter-Korean relations could be in jeopardy because Seoul will find it difficult in light of public sentiment to accommodate the North's demands for pay rises for its workers and higher land-use fees" at the industrial complex.