2년 4개월만의 개성공단 방문... 공동연락사무소 추진단 "점검시설 일부 개보수 필요"
The two Koreas continue to work on establishing a liaison office.
Today the South and North's officials paid a visit to the Kaesong Industrial Complex,... a potential site to set up such operations.
Seoul's team has now returned.
Oh Jung-hee gets us up to speed with the developments.
A team of South Korean officials visited the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex for the first time since February 2016.
The visit allowed the South Korean delegation to conduct prior inspections on the complex... as the two Koreas have agreed to set up a joint liaison office there at an early date... during last week's high-level talks.
The Kaesong Industrial Complex is a joint industrial park run by the two Koreas at the inter-Korean border, but it's been shut down since February 2016.
So some pre-work including renovations needs to be done to set up offices there.
"Establishing the inter-Korean joint liaison office is the first measure of implementing the Panmunjom Declaration and we think this is a significant and meaningful step for the sustainable improvement of inter-Korean relations."
South Korea had a 14-member team for Friday's inspection... led by Seoul's Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung.
The team also included officials from the Presidential Office and a few private sector firms -- such as a telecom carrier KT... and Hyundai Asan which played a key role in setting up the now-suspended factory park.
North Korea sent 5 officials including vice chairman of Pyongyang's reunification committee... and they guided the South Korean officials through the park.
Most of the facilities looked fine on the exterior, South Korean officials say,... but one of the buildings -- the inter-Korean interaction and cooperation office -- had its basement submerged... so a few machine equipment and some parts of the building needs renovation.
Following the results of Friday's inspection, South Korea plans to consult with related organizations and experts regarding renovating the complex and setting up a temporary liaison office first.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
