South Korea’s politicians have welcomed the conclusion of a tentative agreement on the future of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which was signed by delegations from North and South at Panmunjom early on the morning of the 7th.
An official from the office of President Park Geun Hye commented, “That the door to agreement is open is itself meaningful. Low-level agreement between officials of North and South for the developmental normalization [of the Kaesong Industrial Complex] has been reached.”
Nevertheless, “This should never have happened,” the official went on with regard to the three-month stoppage of the Complex. However, the official agreed that “relative progress” has occurred.
Elsewhere, in a commentary piece the ruling Saenuri Party noted, “This agreement was made possible by both South and North showing a willing and sincere attitude toward solving the Kaesong Complex issue. Thus, the result of this agreement is that meaningful progress has been made.”
In a briefing, the opposition Democratic Party also welcomed the agreement, calling it “the first step toward normalizing the Kaesong Complex and South-North relations;” however, the Democrats added that the leaders of the two sides must use the agreement as a stepping-stone toward greater progress and more significant results.
In North Korea, meanwhile, Chosun Central News Agency released news of the agreement at 7:30AM, three hours after it was reached. The report noted that the two sides had signed an agreement designed to “reduce rainy season damage to South side enterprises and normalize the Complex.”
