hankyoreh

Gyeonggi Province

By Son Won-je, Staff writer

The number of South Korean workers staying at the Kaesong Industrial Complex will increase to around 900 starting some time around Sept. 20. Following the Lee Myung-bak administration’s May 24 measures after the sinking of the Cheonan, the number was halved to about 500 from its weekday level of around 1,000 people. As this follows the first increase in workers since the mid-July increase to around 600, the size of the workforce at the complex has recovered nearly 90 percent of its pre-May 24 levels.

“With the reduction in the workforce to date, tenant companies have been complaining about production and quality management and fatigue among employees,” said a Unification Ministry official Tuesday. “In consideration of the difficulties experienced by tenant companies, we have decided to increase the number of workers staying at the complex.”

The official went on to say, “There has been no major issue with personal safety, which was the factor behind limiting the number of workers.” The official added, “In particular, we considered the requests of tenant companies who said that it would be difficult to carry out normal winter apparel production activities with their current workforce.”

The Unification Ministry plans to work this week on determining the increased staffing needs of individual tenant companies. It plans to go through a preparatory process, including apportionment of the increased workforce, before beginning actual implementation starting early next week on Sept. 20.

The ministry was emphatic about not overstating the significance of its measures. A ministry official said, “We are increasing the number of workers staying at the complex, but the tenor and principles of the May 24 measures are being maintained, for example, with a continuing prohibition on new and additional investment in the Kaesong complex.”

Analysts are saying that by emphasizing the internal South Korean goal of alleviating company difficulties, the Unification Ministry is cautioning against interpreting its measure as part of an exit strategy of the Cheonan situation.

In spite of this, the measure is noteworthy for coming amid resumed efforts at an inter-Korean dialogue, using humanitarian issues as a medium. These include North Korea’s repatriation of seized crew members from the squid fishing boat Daeseung and proposal of reunions for separated family members, as well as the first South Korean rice aid to North Korea under the Lee Myung-bak administration, to be provided as humanitarian aid following flood damages.

Some observers have speculated that there may be a connection with a reference made by President Lee during his Russia visit to the possibility of developing a “second Kaesong complex.”

An official at the Kaesong Industrial Complex said, “Some believe that by a ‘second Kaesong complex,’ President Lee was referring to development of the second stage of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which currently only has its 3.3 million square meter first stage completed.” The area would total 8.25 million square meters.

The official went on to say, “It could also be interpreted as part of a sequence toward normalizing the existing complex ahead of follow-up development.”

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