The first meeting of the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC) North-South Joint Committee began at 10AM this morning at an administrative building inside the complex. The outcome of today's meeting should bring greater clarity to the process of reopening that is to come.

Inspections of KIC facilities have revealed no particular technical issues thus far, meaning that if the two sides can agree on a timeline then the complex could be partly reactivated in the coming days. On the agenda for both sides are the three “tongs”: passage (“tonghwa”), communications (“tongsin”), and customs (“tonggwan”), as well as the safety of staff.

It is presumed that agreement on these matters will be comparatively easy to arrive at. However, other issues, notably KIC "internationalization" and compensation for South Korean companies, seem destined to remain as problems. During the seventh round of working-level talks on August 14th the two sides agreed to “internationalize” the complex and compensate firms for losses experienced as a result of the shutdown, but it is unclear how these will be achieved, and so far the can has simply been kicked down the road.

At this meeting the two sides will discuss four subcommittees to be formed within the committee: on entrance, exit and residence in the complex; on investment protection and management; on passage, communications, and customs; and on international competitiveness.

The two sides have agreed to hold meetings of the joint committee on a quarterly basis, in addition to extraordinary meetings when the need arises. Kim Gi Ung, the head of the Ministry of Unification’s Inter-Korean Cooperation District Support, and Pak Chol Su, the vice-head of the North Korean Guidance Bureau for Developing the Central Special Economic Zone, are to co-chair it.