SKorean delegation heads for talks with North on restarting Kaesong complex

 
A South Korean delegation departed for North Korean on Monday to take part in the first joint committee meeting in charge of managing the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which has been closed for the last four months.

The South Korean delegation along with their North Korean counterparts have been tasked with managing the joint inter-Korean factory zone.

The North and South reached an agreement on August 14 to restart work at the site, which has been interpreted as a sign of diminishing tension in the Korean peninsula.

The delegation led by Kim Ki-woong,  South Korean chief delegate and head of Inter-Korean cooperation district support directorate, will give Seoul an equal voice with their North Korean counterparts as to how the Kaesong Industrial Complex is run in the future.

Kim told journalists that his office would do their up most to make sure "the complex can become an internationally competitive complex, where our (South Korean) businessmen can safely run their businesses and foreign businessmen want to invest in."

The South and North Korean delegation will discuss when Kaesong can be officially opened again. The industrial complex is the main economic link between both nations.

The complex was abruptly shut in early April when the North pulled out its 53-thousand workers hired by 123 South Korean plants, citing heightened tensions caused by the South's joint military exercises with the United States as its reason for the shutdown.

Starting two weeks ago, South Korean businessmen began visiting Kaesong in large numbers to gauge the damage and make repairs to facilities that have been idle for many months.


AP