Anchor: South Korean firms that operated humidity-sensitive facilities at the suspended Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea are running out of patience as the sweltering monsoon begins in full scale. The companies warned that if the government doesn’t take measures soon, they will move the remaining facilities to South Korea or even overseas.
Kim Soyon reports.
 
Report: Amid the current stalemate in inter-Korean relations, manufacturers of mechanical and electronics parts based in the Gaeseong Industrial Complex extended an ultimatum to the government.
 
Concerned about possible damage to their high-value machinery during the monsoon season, companies warned the government they will have to remove the remaining production facilities from the North.
 
The manufacturers held an emergency meeting in Seoul Wednesday and requested the government move to end the suspension, or if not, at least allow them to transfer their facilities back to the South or elsewhere overseas.
 
In a news conference June 20th, the tech firms said they will make an important decision unless the South and North Korean governments take appropriate steps by Wednesday. They called for working-level talks to discuss normalizing complex operations and sending South Korean officials to the North to inspect facility conditions. 
 
As the deadline expired, the emergency committee representing the firms said in a statement that they can wait no longer with the prolonged shutdown of the complex. They urged the government to make a decision soon regarding the complex's closure in order to revive the ailing companies and prevent them from losing buyers. 
 
The emergency committee also called on North Korea to immediately connect the inter-Korean military hotline and take necessary measures for the relocation of facilities.
 
Joint chairman of the committee Kim Hak-gweon said the firms appealed several times for authorities to allow a minimum number of corporate representatives to travel to the North for the maintenance of complex facilities. But he said both Koreas failed to accept their request. 
 
Kim added that several firms are already searching for locations abroad to transfer the facilities. 
 
Of the 123 South Korean businesses that operated in Gaeseong, 46 are manufacturers of machine and electronic parts. 
 
Kim Soyon, KBS World Radio News.