KAESONG INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX (KIC)

June 18, 2020

North Korea blew up the joint liaison office with South Korea in Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC). The demolition follows a recent deterioration in relations between North and South Korea.

About:

  • The Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC) is located inside North Korea just across the demilitarised zone from South Korea.

  • The project was launched in 2004, largely financed by the South to increase co-operation.

  • South Korea has said the purpose of the KIC was to develop an industrial park where South Korean companies could manufacture their products using North Korean labour.

  • The KIC is a duty-free zone, and there are no restrictions on the use of foreign currency or credit cards. No visa is required to enter the complex.

  • It argued that would help North Korea start to reform its economy, which is in a dire state, and ease tensions between the two Koreas. It is one of the last remaining points of peaceful engagement between North and South Korea.