The government has made it clear that it would treat North Korea's unilateral demand to raise its workers' wage at the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex and South Korean civic groups' anti-Pyongyang leaflet activities as separate issues.

In a regular news briefing on Wednesday, Unification Ministry spokesman Lim Byung-cheol addressed comments by Chairman Jeong Gi-seob of the Corporate Association of Gaeseong Industrial Complex who suggested halting leaflet activities in order to prevent the planned wage hike. 

Amid rising tension over the wage issue, the South Korean spokesman said closing down the complex would be undesirable for inter-Korean relations and exchanges, and the government is not considering it as an option. 

The spokesman stressed the necessity for South and North Korean authorities to swiftly hold talks to resolve issues rather than discussing the possibility of closing down the inter-Korean facility.