A special economic zone that North Korea reportedly wants to set up near the western sea border with South Korea seems to be unrelated to Pyongyang’s original plan to create 14 special business zones, a Seoul official said Thursday.

The Asahi Shimbun reported Wednesday that the North seeks to establish beaches, golf courses and hotels in Kangryong County near the so-called Northern Limited Line (NLL) in an effort to lure foreign investors that may include South Korean companies.

The unification ministry official said that the North‘s NLL economic zone may be a plan based on outlines made by the North’s national economic committee that was compiled in China for the purpose of attracting foreign direct investment.

“Pyongyang has yet to confirm any plans for the NLL economic region, but it is our understanding that it is not part of the original special business zones that were first reported by the North‘s state media last month,” he said.

The Rodong Sinmun, an organ of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, said the country wanted to use the zones to build up the country‘s industrial base.

At present, the North has only four such business regions -- the Hwanggumpyong and Wihwa islands, Gaeseong Industrial Complex, Mount Geumgangsan region and Rason.

The official did not speculate that such an economic zone could attract South Korean companies.

On the other hand, independent North Korea watchers said the NLL zone may be part of the Haeju business region that was confirmed by the Rodong Sinmum.

The ministry, in charge of managing inter-Korean relations, said the North remains silent on calls by Seoul to reopen working-level talks to improve the competitiveness of the inter-Korean factory park in Gaeseong.

On Wednesday, the government sent a message urging the North to come to sub-committee talks to reform rules on travel, communication, customs and basic rights of South Koreans working in Gaeseong. (Yonhap News)