The Ministry of Unification said Thursday that 17 people have been killed in industrial and traffic accidents over the last five years at two major sites of inter-Korean economic cooperation.

According to the ministry, there were 191 reported accidents and acts of violence at the Gaesong Idustrial Complex and Mount Geumgang resort in North Korea from January 2004 until the end of April this year. Ten South Korean and seven North Korean workers were killed.

A ministry official said that the government will take measures to ensure the safety of workers in the areas.

More than one-thousand South Korean and 27-thousand North Korean workers are employed at the Gaesong Industrial Complex.