A group of South Korean businessmen with factories in the Kaesong Industrial Complex will visit North Korea this week, with the two Koreas locking horns over Pyongyang's move to raise wages for its workers there, a Seoul ministry said Monday.
They plan to cross the border on Tuesday morning for a one-day trip to hold an emergency meeting of the operating committee for the inter-Korean economic cooperation program, according to the unification ministry's spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol.
Chung Ki-sup, who leads the council of South Korean companies operating in the zone, will head the 17-member delegation, added Lim.
Their visit to Kaesong comes as the South and the North have faced weeks of stand-offs over the pay level of around 53,000 workers hired by 124 South Korean firms in the Kaesong facilities.
In February, the North said it would raise the minimum wage for its workers from $70.35 to $74 starting in March.
The South has made clear that it can't accept the North's unilateral measure and called for bilateral consultations.
The government, Lim said, will soon propose dialogue with the North's Central Special Development Guidance Bureau in charge of running the zone.
No specific timing has been decided yet for the planned offer, he added. (Yonhap)
