With the two Koreas still at loggerheads over North Korea’s demand for wage hikes at the Gaeseong Industrial complex, the North extended the deadline for the payment of March wages to Friday.
 
The Unification Ministry in Seoul said that the North’s Central Special Zone Development Guidance General Bureau sent notice of the extension to the South's Gaeseong Industrial District Management Committee on Wednesday morning.
 
The deadline for wage payments originally fell on Monday, but on Tuesday the South Korean management committee officially asked North Korea to extend the deadline to the end of this month.
    
With the payment deadline extended, the North is unlikely to charge late fees against South Korean businesses at the inter-Korean park at least until Friday.
    
Meanwhile, the Unification Ministry is continuing an investigation into three companies which paid March wages at the complex and signed agreements promising pay increases at a later date. The ministry said that based on the results of its probe, it will take the necessary action against the firms.