Some 100 representatives of South Korean companies operating in North Korea's Gaeseong Industrial Complex are urging the Seoul government to lift restrictions on cross-border visits to normalize operations at the complex.

They issued a statement Wednesday saying that the jointly run inter-Korean complex at Gaeseong is an ideal way to ensure peace and security and is the best means of decreasing geopolitical economic risks.

The representatives said that the survival of the firms has been put at risk since North Korea's artillery attack on the South’s Yeonpyeong Island last month and that the companies are barely coping with the situation.

They said a dialogue channel with North Korea must be maintained for the sake of security and inter-Korean coexistence.

They said the Gaeseong complex provides a venue for small enterprises to go global and stressed that its operation must be normalized.

Some 700 to 800 South Korean workers were at the complex prior to last month’s attack. This was cut to 400 after South Korea restricted visits to North Korea.