A government official has confirmed that South Koreans who left the Gaesong Industrial Park Thursday did so without being harmed or threatened.

The official said seven to eight North Koreans came to the South Korean side of the inter-Korean economic cooperation office at Gaesong Wednesday afternoon. The group requested that the South Koreans return to Seoul.

The official said the North Koreans who worked on the fourth floor of the same building came down to the second-floor South Korean office to make the request.

At the time, 16 staff members were in the office including eleven Unification Ministry officials and five non-ministry staff. The North Koreans did not physically harm the South Koreans, reportedly acknowledging that they could not forcibly drag their counterparts out. Still, the North Koreans repeated their request, citing "orders from higher-up."

The South Korean side responded by requesting an official letter but went home the next day.