The South Korean government is expected to announce a suite of new measures to help increase activity at the Kaeseong Industrial Complex in the coming days, after receiving a number of recommendations from a bipartisan group of lawmakers which visited the complex on Friday last week.
On Sunday, an official from the Ministry of Unification said that the government is currently conducting a general review of requests made to the group by business leaders at the complex, and suggested that the adoption of some could be announced as early as this week.
The eight lawmakers from the Special Committee on Improving Inter-Korean Relations and the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee used a press conference upon their return from the day-long trip to call for new building permissions and provision of machinery required for factory operations; finding a solution to an estimated 23,000 shortfall of workers from North Korea; and financial backing from the government for businesses currently in the complex.
The group also called for products from the complex to be recognised as South Korean-made under free trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, as well as more leisure facilities for workers at the complex.
During the visit the group toured facilities including a wastewater processing and water purification plant, and met with representatives from local businesses over lunch to hear their observations and requests.
Last year the government adopted measures to construct a new fire station as well as to improve roads used by North Korean workers to travel to the complex, following a similar visit by then-Grand National Party floor leader Hong Joon Pyo.
