Anchor: A group of South Korean businesspeople who had operated factories at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea are visiting the U.S. to call for reopening the joint complex. While the businesses have been suffering due to the abrupt shutdown of the plant three years ago, many hurdles remain before they can get back to work.
Celina Yoon has more.

Report: A delegation of businesspeople who had operated factories at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex arrived in Washington D.C. on Monday, three years and four months after the complex was shut down. 

They will try to convince U.S. lawmakers, who could help secure an international sanctions exemption for the complex, that the inter-Korean industrial project is a symbol of peace and that there is a need to restart operations there.

The delegation, which includes Chairman Kim Jin-hyang of the Gaeseong Industrial District Foundation and Chairman Jeong Gi-seob of the Corporate Association of Gaeseong Industrial Complex, also plan to meet with think tanks as well as State Department officials during their weeklong trip to the U.S. 

[Sound bite: Kim Jin-hyang - chairman, Gaeseong Industrial District Foundation (Korean)]
"As wages are paid to North Korean workers in a transparent procedure, the money is not used by the regime for weapons of mass destruction. It is not a piggy bank for the North Korean regime. We will explain these things."

Around 120 South Korean businesses employed some 54-thousand North Korean workers at the Gaeseong industrial park before it was abruptly shut down in February 2016 following North Korea's fourth nuclear test.

The South Korean government recently gave a green light to the business owners to visit and inspect the complex, but it has not gone forward as North Korea has remained silent about the issue amid stalled denuclearization talks.

[Sound bite: Jeong Gi-seob - chairman, Corporate Association of Gaeseong Industrial Complex (Korean)]
"The businesses that had factories only at the Gaeseong complex have virtually closed down, and more than 90 percent of our member companies are suffering considerable damage following the shutdown."

Many hurdles must be overcome before the complex can be reopened. UN Security Council Resolution 2375 forbids joint ventures with North Korea, and paying cash to North Korean workers may violate UN and other international sanctions.

A sanctions waiver may be granted, but the U.S. is reportedly opposed to the move. On Tuesday, the business delegation will attend a North Korea briefing organized by Rep. Brad Sherman, Chairman of the ​House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.

Meanwhile, Washington’s focus appears to remain fixed on the nuclear issue. 

[Sound bite: U.S. Department of State spokesperson Morgan Ortagus (English)]
"President Trump and President Moon will continue their close coordination on efforts to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

The U.S. State Department says President Donald Trump will discuss ways to strengthen the U.S.-South Korea alliance and to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea during an upcoming trip to Seoul, scheduled to take place after the G20 summit late this month.
Celina Yoon, KBS World Radio News.

[Photo : YONHAP News]