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South Korean businessmen visit Kaesong ahead of reopening

They will examine production facilities on the basis of the agreement to reopen Kaesong

SEOUL, August 22 (Itar-Tass) - A delegation of 200 business people and 58 officials from South Korea went on Thursday to the Kaesong Industrial Complex to check South Korean enterprises ahead of the reopening of the jointly run industrial complex shut down amid tensions between the two Koreas, Yonhap news agency reports.

They will examine production facilities on the basis of an agreement the reopen Kaesong, reached at talks between Pyongyang and Seoul held last week.

The sides also agreed to attract foreign investment in the Kaesong joint venture. South Korea expects that this move will prevent Pyongyang from taking unilateral measures in the activity of the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

According to a representative from the South Korean Ministry of Unification, the timeframe for reopening Kaesong still remained unsettled. Partially this depends on how long it will take 123 South Korean companies to check their enterprises in Kaesong.

The Kaesong Industrial Complex was shut down early in April, when North Korea pulled out all of its 53,000 workers hired by 123 South Korean companies, citing South Korea’s military exercises with the US as the reason for its shutdown.

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