A senior North Korean official said on Friday that the two Koreas must continue the Gaesong Industrial Complex regardless of international conditions.

According to the Ministry of Unification, Pyongyang's chief delegate to the inter-Korean economic talks, Ju Dong-chan, made the remark at a quarterly meeting with South Korean officials in Gaesong.

The remark comes amid growing international calls for the suspension of the inter-Korean economic cooperation project due to concerns that money from the project might be funneled to Pyongyang’s missile development.