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| ▲ This file photo shows the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the North Korean border town of Kaesong, as seen from South Korea's border city of Paju, on Jan. 11, 2026. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) Koreas-joint factory zone
(LEAD) Unification ministry calls Seoul's 2016 suspension of inter-Korean factory zone 'self-injurious'
(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with more details throughout)
SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- The unification ministry on Tuesday called the then Park Geun-hye government's 2016 suspension of the once-thriving inter-Korean factory zone "self-injurious," expressing hope for its prompt reopening.
The ministry issued the message as Tuesday marked the 10th anniversary of South Korea's suspension of the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the namesake North Korean border city over the North's nuclear and missile programs under the conservative government of then President Park.
"The blanket suspension of the industrial complex by Seoul in February 2016 was an act of self-injury that impaired the foundation for inter-Korean trust and mutual growth," a ministry official said.
The official also expressed "deep regret" that Seoul "missed the decisive chance" to reopen the industrial complex by failing to take reciprocal steps in response to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's remarks in January 2019 that he was willing to reopen it without preconditions or rewards.
"The government hopes for the prompt normalization of the Kaesong Industrial Complex," the official said. "First of all, we expect (the two Koreas) to reinstate long-severed inter-Korean communication channels in order to resume communications and dialogue across various fields for the resumption of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and recovery of collapsed trust."
Internally, the ministry plans to take preparatory steps for the resumption of the joint factory zone, including reinstating a foundation that supports the industrial complex through cooperation with the National Assembly, the official noted.
The complex, which began operations in 2004 as a symbolic project of inter-Korean economic cooperation and political reconciliation, once hosted about 55,000 North Korean workers employed by 120 South Korean firms.
On Feb. 10, 2016, the Park administration shut it down in response to the North's nuclear weapon test and long-range missile launches. North Korea detonated an inter-Korean liaison office at the complex in 2020.
The ministry said the complex served as a safety valve for inter-Korean tensions and a test bed for inter-Korean reunification, while also pledging to take measures to assist South Korean businessmen affected by the closure.
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