Gov't disapprove S. Korean firms' Gaeseong complex visit

By Kim Rahn

The current reconciliatory mood will not directly lead to the reopening of the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex, the Ministry of Unification said Thursday.

Ministry officials said shutting down the complex was part of sanctions imposed on North Korea, which are unlikely to be lifted unless the North takes steps for denuclearization.

The ministry deferred its approval for South Korean companies' request to visit the complex. The companies last month sought permission to inspect their idle factories, saying they need to check the facilities and find ways to preserve them after two years of suspended operations. Thursday was the deadline for the government to decide whether to approve the visit.

Officials said they understand the need to inspect the facilities, but added North Korean authorities have not sent documents necessary for South Koreans to visit the North, including invitations and personal security guarantees.

"As an inter-Korean summit and Washington-Pyongyang talks are ahead, we may find other ways if the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula improves," a ministry official said.

He said despite the planned summits, pressure and sanctions against the North are still valid.

"The government's stance has not changed: any economic exchanges, including the Gaeseong complex resumption, can happen only when there is progress on North Korea's denuclearization," the official said.

It was the companies' fifth request to visit North Korea since the complex was shut down in February 2016. The former Park Geun-hye administration closed it, saying money given to North Korean workers was used in developing the country's nuclear and missile programs.