North Korea has urged the South Korean government to allow South Korean businesspeople to visit the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.

A spokesman for the North’s Committee for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland made the call in a statement Tuesday, saying the North is ready to hold any discussions on the normalization of the industrial zone, including the issue of returning South Korean firms’ raw materials and finished products from the inter-Korean industrial park.

The statement said South Korean authorities do not need to worry about the South Korean businesspeople’s safety, adding that South Korean authorities may send members of the Committee for Operating the Gaeseong Industrial Zone along with the businesspeople if they do not feel reassured.

The committee also urged Seoul to promptly allow South Korean organizations to visit the North to attend an inter-Korean event marking the 13th anniversary of the signing of the June 15th Joint Declaration. The committee said if Seoul is concerned about "contradiction among South Koreans,” it can send some government officials to the inter-Korean event.

The remark comes after South Korea rejected on Monday North Korea's proposal to hold a joint event in North Korea celebrating the anniversary of the signing of the joint declaration.