Ruling party chief says resumption of Kaesong complex possible

The chief of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) has said the resumption of a shuttered inter-Korean joint industrial complex in North Korea is possible through conditional relief of sanctions and in-kind payment of wages, officials said Tuesday.

Rep. Song Young-il made the remarks during a meeting Monday with Tomas Ojea Quintana, the UN special rapporteur on North Korea's human rights situation, as they discussed ways to improve the human rights situation in the North, according to the DP.

Quintana, who has been on a visit to South Korea to prepare for an annual report to the Human Rights Council, said in response that he supports the reopening of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, according to party officials.

"I have visited the Kaesong complex more than five times and witnessed livelihoods of North Korean people practically improving," Song said. "The resumption of the Kaesong complex is a good way to introduce information of the outside world."

The factory park had been criticized as a cash cow for the impoverished North and South Korea's government of then President Park Geun-hye shut it down in February 2016 following a series of missile tests from Pyongyang.

The special rapporteur also said he had a "meaningful time" two days ago when he met with residents living in areas near the border and listened to their opinions on the sending of anti-Pyongyang leaflets and balloons into the North.

Quintana added that the residents emphasized peaceful resolution of the issue. (Yonhap)