[Yonhap News Photo]
South Korean firms kicked out of a suspended inter-Korean industrial zone turned down a government financial package Tuesday to compensate for losses caused by the abrupt shutdown of their factories.
The suspension of operations at Kaesong, a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation and reconciliation and a key earner for Pyongyang, followed the North's nuclear and long-range rocket tests. The industrial estate, which lies just north of the border, hosted about 120 South Korean firms employing some 53,000 North Korean workers.
Last week the Seoul government said South Korean firms doing business at the joint zone would receive about 520 billion won (437 million US dollars) in compensation for their losses. But an association of corporate owners rejected it, insisting their losses would be far higher than the amount calculated by government officials.
Association head Jeong Gi-seob said the government should provide a bigger financial package because it's entirely responsible for the zone's closure.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
