South Korean companies operating in the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex and the Korea Federation of Small Business called for the swift normalization of cross-border travel to the North.

Around 20 former heads of the Corporate Association of Gaeseong Industrial Complex and officials of the SME lobby group met and issued a joint statement at the Dorasan Inter-Korean Transit Office on Thursday.

They said the North’s ban on South Koreans’ entry into the Gaeseong complex is limiting the movement of raw materials and production managers, causing significant disruptions. The statement also stressed that production at the Gaeseong complex should not be affected under any circumstance.

The statement also called on the South Korean government to work toward lifting the entry ban, and further ensure stable operations of the inter-Korean factory park.