S Koreans visit joint industrial complex
Iran Press TV
Tue Jul 9, 2013 8:24AM GMT
Officials and workers from South Korea have visited the jointly-run Kaesong industrial complex in North Korea, only days after the neighboring states agreed to open the zone suspended for three months.
Some two dozens of South Korean visitors went to the site on Tuesday in order to restart power supplies, the South’s Unification Ministry said.
The visit of the southerners to the site is aimed at preparing for a visit on Wednesday by South Korean officials and dozens of business owners who run the factories in Kaesong.
The visit came after Seoul and Pyongyang agreed on Sunday to reopen the complex, which was closed in May amid tensions on the Korean peninsula.
The 15-hour talks were held in the village of Panmunjom, a traditional point of contact on the border, where the ceasefire that ended the 1950-53 Korean War was signed.
The agreement was regarded as a positive step in easing months of tensions and military threats between the two Koreas.
The two sides have also agreed to hold another meeting at the complex on July 10 to discuss ways to prevent another shutdown.
Kaesong is located on the North Korean side of the fortified border and houses the operations of over 120 South Korean companies, employing both South and North Korean workers.
The industrial zone was launched in 2003 in an effort to boost ties between the two states.
Pyongyang blocked access to the site and withdrew its 53,000 employees in May. South Korea also pulled out the last of its workers on May 3.
SAB/HN
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