Exhibition that sheds light on life at Kaesong Industrial Park kicks off

Arirang News 2018-07-06

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개성공단의 일상을 문화로 소개한다…전시 6일 개최

Signs of peace and reconciliation are becoming clearly visible in various corners of the Korean peninsula.
In tune with this welcome turnaround, a special exhibition centered around the now shuttered Kaesong industrial park opened its doors here in Seoul.
Kim Mok-yeon provides a sneak peak at what life was like at the joint factory complex, once a beacon of hope for greater economic cooperation.


The Kaesong Industrial park was launched by the two Koreas in 2004 in order to help North Korea start to reform its economy and ease tensions between the two sides.
However, operations have been suspended since February 2016 following Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.

"As the thaw in inter-Korean relations has put cooperation between the two sides back on the table, the Culture Ministry has launched a special exhibition that shows previous moments of cooperation at the Kaesong Industrial Complex"

The display includes graphs that show the number of employees, and sales figures at the complex... as well as exhibits showing 24 hours in the life of a Kaesong employee.
Starting with a group exercise, the first batch of employees at the joint complex begin their shift at 8 a.m.
They take 20 minutes off during the morning and afternoon, and they also have time to take care of their children after their lunch hour begins at midday.
They finish work all together at 6 p.m. when the next shift starts so that the factory can operate around the clock.

The exhibition also shows what the factories looked like, and what the South and North Korean workers produced.
The workers in the park made various products like embroidered clothes, dishes and stainless steel products to be sold in the South.
One of the organizers of the event hopes the exhibition could pave the way for operations in the complex to resume, and for further cooperation between the two Koreas.

"At a time when many people are hoping for peace on the Korean peninsula, I wanted to show how life was at the Kaesong industrial complex. I hope the exhibition can help people understand the situation in the North, and act as a stepping stone for more inter-Korean cooperation to come."

The exhibition will continue until September second at the Culture Station Seoul 284 in central Seoul.

Kim Mok-yeon, Arirang News.

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