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| South Korean trucks from the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea pass a checkpoint near the inter-Korean border in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon |
By Yi Whan-woo
South Korea began to pull out staff and material from the Gaeseong Industrial Complex (GIC) in North Korea, Thursday, a day after it announced a closure of the inter-Korean complex.
No major disturbances occurred in the complex despite concerns here that North Korea may obstruct the firms there from pulling out.
The officials from Seoul's Gaeseong Industrial District Management Committee put priority on ensuring the safety of the South Korean workforce in negotiations as it prepares to pull out from the inter-Korean industrial park, according to the Ministry of Unification.
During a meeting with Pyongyang's Central Special Development Guidance Bureau representatives, the committee members also discussed ways of retrieving finished goods and factory equipment before cutting supplies of electricity and water at the GIC.
However, it remains to be seen whether North Korea will be cooperative regarding the South's move to completely halt operation of the GIC, which Seoul suspects is Pyongyang's major source of hard currency for financing its U.N.-banned nuclear and missile programs.
Analysts have speculated that the repressive regime may deport the South Korean workforce in retaliation for Seoul's decision concerning the GIC. It decided to shut down the joint factory park in Gaeseong as punishment for Pyongyang's launch of a long-range rocket on Feb. 7, which is regarded by other nations as a ballistic missile test.
The observers also said that the impoverished Kim Jong-un regime may freeze all assets at the GIC and ban 124 South Korean enterprises with businesses located there from taking their products and equipment back home.
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Citing that the citizens of Gaeseong rely on electricity and water supplied via the GIC, the experts said that North Korea may also be against cutting such supplies. It is also possible that Pyongyang will argue about issues concerning taxes as well as wages for over 50,000 North Korean employees hired by the 124 companies.
"I don't think Pyongyang will hold our citizens as hostages, but it's possible that it will deport them except for those who need to stay there to wrap up their respective company's business," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies.
There were a total of 184 South Koreans remaining in the GIC as of Thursday morning. This figure will be subject to change until the companies fully pull out, according to the unification ministry.
Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korean Studies professor at Dongguk University, said that North Korea may prevent the firms from taking their property.
Pyongyang says that each company should only be allowed to bring back one truckload of materials, according to government sources.
"North Korea knows too well that such an amount is far too small considering that the 124 companies have run businesses at the GIC since it opened in 2004," said Koh.
"At the same time, it knows that the shutdown may be permanent given that Seoul is stepping up efforts to join the international sanctions against Pyongyang.
"The Kim regime may try to ‘steal' all property at the GIC.
"It's also possible that the regime may claim that Seoul's decision concerning the GIC was unilateral and demand to pay land usage tax and also wages for its laborers."
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