Two Koreas agree to reopen Kaesong

North Korea and South Korea have agreed to reopen the jointly-run Kaesong Industrial Zone, which has been suspended for three months amid tension on the Korean Peninsula.

On Saturday, the two Koreas started their talks in the ˜truce™ village of Panmunjom, a traditional point of contact on the border. The ceasefire that ended the 1950-53 Korean War was signed in Panmunjom.

œ(North and South Korea) will hold a next meeting on July 10 at the industrial zone in order to restart operations, prevent an operation suspension in the future and normalize the zone as soon as the both sides are ready to do so,” South Korea™s chief delegate Suh Ho told reporters after the talks.

œWe got an impression that the North was very willing to resolve the Kaesong issue and Pyongyang is making great efforts as well.”

The talks come three weeks after a previous attempt to negotiate fell apart over protocol issues.

The two sides have also agreed to hold another meeting at the complex on July 10 to discuss ways to prevent another shutdown.

œThe North and the South will make sure that the businesses in the KIZ will restart, depending on their preparations,” North Korea™s state-owned KCNA news agency reported.

Kaesong is located on the North Korean side of the fortified border and houses the operations of over 120 South Korean companies, employing both South and North Korean workers.

Pyongyang blocked access to the site and withdrew its 53,000 employees in May amid rising tensions with Seoul. South Korea also pulled out the last of its workers on May 3.

Kaesong was launched in 2003 to boost ties between the two neighbors.

The Korean Peninsula has been locked in a cycle of military rhetoric over the past few months.

MSH/HSN