韩国处理与朝鲜关系的高级官员统一部长官柳吉在说，到了从关闭的开城工业园区撤回韩国人员的时候了。
柳吉在星期五说，韩国政府已经做出撤回大约180名韩国人员的“不可避免的决定”。
在做出这个决定的几个小时之前，朝鲜拒绝了韩国提出的举行正式谈判以恢复开城工业园区运转的建议。
首尔当局星期四向平壤提出举行谈判的24小时期限，首尔警告说如果平壤不同意举行谈判，韩国将采取严厉反应措施。
星期五在期限过了几个小时之后，平壤拒绝了首尔的建议，并且警告说，如果首尔坚持在开城这个边界城镇恶化双方关系，朝鲜将首先采取严厉行动。
韩国总统朴槿惠星期五召集了内阁中的安全事务有关部长开会，研究如何处理开城工业园区的问题。
The top South Korean official charged with handling North-South relations says the time has come for South Korean workers still at the shuttered Kaesong factory zone to return home.
Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae said Friday that the government has made an "unavoidable decision" to bring about 180 South Korean workers home.
The decision came hours after North Korea rejected the South's proposal for formal negotiations to restart operations at the Kaesong complex.
Seoul gave Pyongyang 24 hours on Thursday to agree to talks, warning of a tough response if Pyongyang did not agree to the offer.
Hours after the deadline passed Friday, Pyongyang dismissed the offer and warned that it would be the first to take tough action if the South insists on worsening the situation at the border town.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye met with her security-related Cabinet ministers on Friday, regarding fate of the Kaesong complex.
