Southern workers in Kaesong rise

A daily average of more than 600 South Korean workers are currently staying at the Kaesong Industrial Complex in North Korea, up from the 500-level in the past several months, the Unification Ministry said yesterday.

The increase reflects a reduction in military tensions between the two Koreas, officials at the ministry said.

The ministry’s data showed that around 650 South Koreans stay at the industrial park, located just north of the inter-Korean border, per day starting last month.

“With regard to the number of production-related manpower, we are granting permission to stay [there] with more flexibility starting in the middle of April,” a ministry official said. “The number is expected to gradually increase down the road as well.”

He said the ministry’s flexible stance is attributable to petitions from companies in the Kaesong complex and the alleviation of security concerns of South Korean workers, as inter-Korean tensions have eased a bit.

More than 46,000 North Koreans work at about 120 South Korean firms operating in the industrial zone.

Yonhap