After the North Korea-U.S. summit ended on a positive note,... there are hopes it could lead to the reopening of the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex that was shut a couple of years ago due to strained relations between Seoul and Pyongyang.
Businesses that had operations at the complex are stressing that they themselves... as well as the South Korean government... must be prepared for a possible lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang and for the factory park to reopen.
Kim Hyo-sun tells us more.
The historic North Korea-U.S. summit has led to increased hopes for the reopening of the Kaesong Industrial Complex,... which has been collecting dust since February 2016.
The agreement signed in late April by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to establish new bilateral relations and to make joint efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula,... could eventually lead to eased international sanctions on Pyongyang.
There are also pundits who forecast the official end of the Korean War could be declared on July 27th,... the day when the Korean War Armistice Agreement was signed in 1953, or at the UN General Assembly in September.
The South Korean companies argue they need to inspect their factories in Kaesong to prepare for a possible lifting of international sanctions on the regime as well as the reopening of the complex.
"We must prepare for the resumption of the Kaesong Industrial Complex."
Experts also point to the successful operation of the complex as the basis for inter-Korean economic cooperation.
"Reopening the Kaesong Industrial Complex is necessary because we already have the infrastructure, and it would not cost us additional time or money."
Referring to their unanswered requests to visit the complex,... the South Korean companies are urging the government to show more commitment toward reopening the factory park and to be fully prepared for any future developments.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.
