The Gaeseong industrial park had been in operation for 12 years as a relatively sturdy institution among otherwise volatile inter-Korean relations until the Feb. 7 decision to shutter the joint project.

A total of 124 South Korean companies had been operating inside the complex located in the northern part of the border with some 55,000 North Korean laborers.

A majority, or 58 percent, of the businesses dealt with textiles, followed by machinery and metals (19 percent), electronics (11 percent) and chemicals (7 percent). Most of them were small to medium-sized enterprises.

About $100 million had been channeled into the North annually through the complex from the South in the form of wages to North Korean workers. This accounted for about 2 percent of North Korea’s annual foreign trade volume of $6 billion to $7 billion. These payments were delivered to North Korean authorities, and around 20 percent of the funds were returned to the workers in the form of cash or coupons to buy necessities, according to sources.
(Graphic: Nam Kyung-don)