hankyoreh

The Corporate Association of Kaesong Industrial Complex holds a press conference Tuesday calling for the reopening of the complex on the 21st anniversary of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration of 2000 near Tongil (Unification) Bridge in Paju in front of a truck carrying 1.1 million protective masks the association prepared for North Korean workers. (Kim Myoung-jin/The Hankyoreh)

The Corporate Association of Kaesong Industrial Complex held a press conference Tuesday near Tongil (Unification) Bridge in Paju to call for the reopening of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and normalization of inter-Korean relations.

Lee Jae-cheol, head of the association, said, “[The businesses at the complex] suffered tremendous losses since the complex’s closure five years ago and haven’t been able to recover from the losses since [the businesses’] day-to-day survival is at risk.”

The Corporate Association of Kaesong Industrial Complex holds a press conference Tuesday calling for the reopening of the complex. (Kim Myoung-jin/The Hankyoreh)

“The governments of South and North Korea need to begin discussions immediately on how to reopen the Kaesong Industrial Complex.”

The press conference was held on the 21st anniversary of the June 15 South-North Joint Declaration of 2000.

The Corporate Association of Kaesong Industrial Complex holds a press conference Tuesday calling for the reopening of the complex. (Kim Myoung-jin/The Hankyoreh)

The association also prepared 1.1 million protective masks for North Korean workers who used to work at the complex and their families as a gesture for resuming inter-Korean dialogue.

By Kim Myoung-jin, staff photographer

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