By Chung Min-uck
South and North Korea reached an eleventh-hour agreement Friday on the payment of wages for North Korean workers at the Gaseong Industrial Complex, the now-closed inter-Korean symbol of economic cooperation.
As of 5:20 p.m, the last seven South Koreans in the northern city were heading home, the Ministry of Unification said in a briefing.
“An understanding was reached during talks with the North Korean side,” the official said. “The South Koreans in Gaeseong are to cross over the demilitarized zone at around 5:30 p.m (Friday).”
It was a barter resembling the cold war-era swap of American and Soviet spies. South Korea was to send a truck full of cash to the tune of $10 million, when the seven were confirmed to be on their way home, the official said. .
The negotiating team led by Hong Yang-ho, the chairman of the Gaeseong Industrial District Management Committee, had been discussing the payment of unpaid wages to North Korean workers and tax issues.
Despite the settlement, the two sides failed to agree over the return of finished goods and production materials owned by South Korean companies in the complex, according to the ministry.
The seven at the Gaeseong complex were the only South Korean nationals remaining in the border town just north of the demilitarized zone, which was the workplace for around 800 before Pyongyang barred South Koreans and cargo from entering it on April 3.
Seoul ordered all South Koreans out last Friday after Pyongyang repeatedly declined to accept talk proposals that could help normalize operations. The North effectively shut down Gaesong after it told all of its 53,000 workers not to report to work on April 9.
Following the announcement, the majority of South Koreans withdrew from the joint complex which first started churning out products in late 2004.
Meanwhile, government earlier decided to provide 300 billion won (US$273 million) in emergency relief funds to local companies that have been forced to halt operations at the complex.
The total amount of loans includes 63 billion won from the Inter-Korea Cooperation Fund, 100 billion won from the Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Fund, 100 billion won from the Korea Finance Corporation and another 36.9 billion won provided by the Technology Credit Guarantee Agency.