By Kim Tae-gyu
Staff Reporter


South Korea plans to install telecom gear compatible with North Korea’s for a telephone link between Seoul and the Kaesong industrial park without violating a U.S. export ban.

An official of KT, South Korea’s biggest fixed-line operator in charge of hooking up the nation to Kaesong, Tuesday said the company changed its policy for a more immediate phone link.

``Up until now, we have tried to install Western telecom gear in the North, thus raising concerns on violating U.S. regulations, which restrict exports of strategic products to the North,’’ said the official, who wanted to be identified only by his surname Park.

``To avoid the export ban, we opted to set up phone transmission equipment, which are interoperable with those of the North, here in the South,’’ he said.

He added KT already agreed with the North to the policy shift early this month and imported the transmission equipment made by a European company from Hong Kong late last week.

After setting the phone charge at 40 cents a minute between the South and Kaesong in late March, KT originally planned to open the telephone lines by May 31.

However, the export administration regulations (EAR) of the United States delayed the scheme indefinitely as the country limits exports of dual-use items, which can be converted for military purposes, to embargoed destinations including North Korea.

Under the policy, a prior license is required for virtually all exports of merchandise using more than 10 percent of U.S. technologies or components.

To avoid the EAR, KT attempted to procure proper telecom gear from European makers but they were hesitant fearing unauthorized exports of telecom gears to the North might upset the U.S.

``We found an alternative route in establishing necessary facilities in the South. As a result, we do not have to export anything to the North and are free from the EAR,’’ Park said.

``Another advantage is that we can save time since we do not need to spend time entering the North and moving equipment in.’’

Park predicted the cross-border telecom docking will be possible in late August, just after the envisioned video reunions of separated family members, slated around Liberation Day on Aug. 15.

Toward that reunions, the two Koreas connected fiber optic cables early this week between the South’s Munsan in Kyonggi Province and Kaesong in the North.

Kaesong Industrial Complex, located just north of the Demilitarized Zone, is now under development with a completion date set for 2007 in 66 million square meters to accommodate 300 corporations.

The Kaesong park is hailed as one of the most positive results of inter-Korean cooperation after decades of hostility in the aftermath of the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.

voc200@koreatimes.co.kr