North Korea has proposed a seventh round of talks with South Korea on reopening the Gaeseong Industrial Complex.
 
The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports North Korea's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland made the proposal in a spokesman's statement Wednesday.

The statement said North Korea will allow the South Korean companies to enter the complex and guarantee their safety. It noted the North will protect the companies’ assets as well. 

While urging South Korea to respond to what it called a "constructive offer" for talks, the statement reiterated the two Koreas must prevent the suspension of operations at the industrial park under any circumstances and guarantee its normal operation by protecting it from political situations. As it repeated such parts of the draft statement revealed at the last round of talks late last month, North Korea omitted a phrase that conditions the two Koreas do not carry out activities that can hinder the normal operations. The phrase has been taken as the North's grounds to criticize the South's future military exercises with the U.S. 

The proposal comes more than a week after Seoul made its final offer for talks with North Korea to settle outstanding issues concerning the operation of the joint factory park.

The South Korean government said it has received the offer from the liaison office in the truce village of Panmunjeom.