| ID | 092933 |
| Title Proper | Kaesong inter-Korean industrial complex |
| Other Title Information | perspectives and prospects |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Kim, Suk Hi ; Lim, Eul-Chul |
| Publication | 2009. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), one of four special economic zones in North Korea, is an industrial park located in North Korea, just across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) from South Korea.2 The KIC stands out because, in recent years, the other three zones have become dysfunctional for all practical purposes. As of the end of 2008, 93 South Korean firms operated in the KIC, with a total of 38,931 North Korean workers along with 1,055 South Korean workers. The project was supposed to be carried out in three stages for years to come; the first stage was well under way and was expected to be completed in 2010. The complex was supposed to employ 100,000 North Korean workers and have 450 tenant companies by the end of 2010. However, such rosy projections about the KIC ended when North Korea cut the reconciliation dialogue with South Korea after its conservative president, Lee Myongbag, took office in February 2008. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a number of key points on the KIC in the context of inter-Korean economic cooperation, along with reasons for the U.S. interest in the KIC.
Special note: We completed this paper before North Korea and the United States began to take a series of new hardline actions against each other. However, the basic tone of this paper, an optimistic one, is likely to prevail in the long run because no one wants another Korean war and North Korea is unlikely to collapse any time soon. |
| `In' analytical Note | North Korean Review Vol. 5, No. 2; Fall 2009: p.81 - 92 |
| Journal Source | North Korean Review Vol. 5, No. 2; Fall 2009: p.81 - 92 |
| Key Words | Kaesong Industrial Complex ; Inter - Korean Relations ; Korea - U.S. Free Trade Agreement ; Export - Processing Zones |