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Inter-Korean consultation office in Kaesong back to operation

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-09-07 11:02

SEOUL: The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday normalized operations at the joint consultation office at the kaesong Joint Industrial Park, the ROK government said.

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Thirteen South Korean officials, headed by Yu Jong-ryeol, the office's co-head, earlier in the day crossed the inter-Korean border to Kaesong, where they would meet with six DPRK counterparts at the office, the unification ministry said.

Last week, the unification ministry announced that the consultation office would be put back into operations starting Monday.

The move came after the DPRK earlier lifted the cross-border traffic restrictions, allowing again South Koreans to travel to Kaesong.

The DPRK in December had shut down the consultation office located in Kaesong, as well as banning inter-Korean traffic in and out of the town in protest of South Korea's hard-line policies.

The office mainly covers administrative affairs in the park where 112 small-sized South Korean firms are deployed with more than 40,000 DPRK employees employed as of end-August.