Representatives of South Korean companies operating factories at the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex met with North Korean officials to discuss the North’s demand for a wage hike.

Upon returning from the North with 13 other businessmen on Wednesday, Chairman Jeong Gi-seob of the Corporate Association of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex told reporters that they discussed the issue during a two-hour meeting at the factory park.
 
Jeong said that the delegation conveyed concerns felt by the South Korean businesses over the North’s unilateral revisions to labor regulations, including the wage hike. He said that the delegation also asked the North to hold consultations with South Korean authorities.

The North Korean officials stressed the importance of a wage hike and contended that the five-point-five-percent raise was the least amount in relation to the rising of prices over the past ten years.

The South Korean business delegation attempted to deliver its written suggestions to North Korean officials; however, the North refused to accept the document.