The government says North Korea is unlikely to expel South Korean businesspeople from the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.

The statement comes after top officials of the North’s National Defense Commission - the North’s de facto supreme leadership - visited the industrial park last week and asked officials working for South Korean firms in the park how long it would take for them to complete a withdrawal from the complex.

The Unification Ministry said in a news briefing Monday that the Gaeseong industrial park is a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation embodied by the 2000 and 2007 South-North summit agreements. The ministry added that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has a keen interest in the successful operations of the industrial complex.

The ministry downplayed the Pyongyang officials' visit, saying any North Korean government agency can visit the industrial park to inspect the condition of the complex.

The ministry plans to dispatch 20 more commuter buses this week to the Gaeseong complex.