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Koreas reach agreement on opening Gaeseong Industrial Complex
And good news for South Korean resident companies with factories in the currently shuttered
Gaeseong Industrial Complex. After months of waiting, they will finally
be able to visit their facilities in the border town this Wednesday.
Our Unification Ministry correspondent Hwang Sung-hee has the details. After a marathon
negotiation, the two Koreas were able to iron out their differences on certain technicalities
regarding the normalization of the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex.
Under the agreement reached in the early hours on Sunday, South Korean businessmen with factories
at the border town will be able to cross into the North starting Wednesday to inspect their
facilities there. On their way back, the companies will be allowed
to retrieve their finished goods as well as raw materials from the complex.
North Korea promised to ensure the safety of the South Korean personnel visiting Gaeseong,
and the two Koreas agreed to resume operations at the factories as soon as possible.
The two sides will meet again on Wednesday in Gaeseong for an additional round of talks
on the normalization of the joint business park, as well as preventive measures against
similar incidents from happening again. From the onset of the meeting, South Korea
had stressed that operations at the complex can only be normalized if the North abides
by its own obligations and international standards.
"One big issue was the need for a systematic measure to prevent such incidents from happening
again in the future. We also saw a need to discuss ways to ensure safety of our personnel
and protection of property within the Gaeseong complex."
South Korean businessmen with factories at the joint business park welcomed the results
of Sunday's agreement. However, they said it will be difficult to
normalize operations at Gaeseong after such a prolonged shutdown and called for the two
Koreas to come up with a clear countermeasure against similar incidents from happening again
at the upcoming meeting. Hwang Sung-hee, Arirang News.