That inter-Korean industrial complex in Kaesong,... once a key economic bridge between Seoul and Pyongyang... was shut down in early 2016,... triggered by the string of nuclear and missile tests by North Korea,... and it remains closed today.
But with the improved relations on the Korean Peninsula,... hopes are growing that the joint park could perhaps open again soon.
Kim Hyesung has the story.
This is an auto parts factory.
After the abrupt shutdown of the Kaesong Industrial Complex in February 2016, the company renovated its warehouse in Incheon, west of Seoul, into a temporary factory.
The number of its employees has since been slashed to one tenth the level seen while Kaesong was still open.

"My machinery, equipment, and data,...they're all still in North Korea. I also lost most of my buyers. Those contacts and trust cannot be recovered. I'm lucky to be able to continue producing goods at this temporary factory, but I barely make any profits now."

"It's not just Yoo Chang-geun, over 120 South Korean business owners had to leave the Kaesong Industrial Complex, with total losses of more than 1.3 billion U.S. dollars over the last two years."

But a recent thaw in inter-Korean relations, and a breakthrough between North Korea and the U.S. to denuclearize the Korean peninsula are raising hopes that things may turnaround.
Every week, business owners hold special task force meetings to prepare for a possible reopening of the industrial park.
They meet so often as reopening Kaesong would be an extremely complicated process.

It's not just UN sanctions. The factories and equipment would need repairing ... and who pays for that remains unclear. There's the issue of deferred wages to around 50-thousand North Korean workers. More than 100 South Korean companies received government insurance payouts following the shutdown, should they return it to the government when re-entering the complex... all these legal issues would have to be sorted out."

Regardless, a survey by the Korean Federation of SMEs shows over 90 percent of South Korean companies would be willing to go back to the Kaesong Industrial Complex if it opens again, citing cheap labor, high productivity and its geographical location.

"For twelve years, the Kaesong Industrial Complex served as a symbol of peace between the two Koreas. We have survived the last two years... and now that the government is planning to set up a joint liaison office, we believe that...finally...the complex will be able to resume operations in the near future."
Kim Hyesung, Arirang News.