Unification Minister Chung Dong-young has expressed his determination to seek the reopening of the inter-Korean industrial complex in North Korea’s Gaesong region, saying he expects the fate of the Korean Peninsula to change on the day it resumes operation.

Meeting with the leadership of the Corporate Association of the Gaesong Industrial Complex on Thursday, Chung apologized on behalf of the government for the damages they have incurred since the Park Geun-hye administration halted the complex’s work in 2016 in response to the North’s nuclear and missile provocations.

Stressing that the government is to blame for failing to fulfill its responsibilities, the minister said if the Gaesong complex had remained open, the situation on the peninsula would not be what it is today.

Chung then expressed hope of taking the first step toward reviving the inter-Korean dream at Gaesong.

The business leaders welcomed the minister’s words, saying they are hopeful about the prospects of reopening the complex since Chung was the minister of unification when it first opened in 2004.