South Korea pulls out of Gaeseong complex

South Korea started withdrawing workers from the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in the North, Thursday.

The government announced Wednesday it would shut down operations at the inter-Korean complex in the border city of Gaeseong, as a countermeasure following a nuclear test and rocket launch by Pyongyang.

"The government is seeking to withdraw South Koreans from there as soon as possible," a Unification Ministry official said.

According to the ministry, North Korean workers did not show up at the complex Thursday.

A total of 124 South Korean companies have been doing business in the complex, which opened in 2004 as a reconciliatory move between the Koreas.

About 54,000 North Koreans are employed producing clothing and other labor-intensive goods, generating around $100 million a year for the cash-strapped communist state.

The move to close operations seeks to cut off Pyongyang's source of hard currency amid international calls for stronger sanctions, following its nuclear bomb test on Jan. 6 and long-range rocket launch this week.

The South Korean move aims to prevent money from Gaeseong from being used to develop nuclear and missile weapon development, the ministry said.