Koreas begin meeting for Kaesong joint committee

SEOUL - Republic of Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Monday began the first meeting of joint management committee for the Kaesong industrial complex.

Delegates from both sides started the session at 10 am local time at the support center of the joint industrial zone in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong, according to a pool report provided by a team of local reporters who were allowed to visit the dialogue venue.

The meeting came after the two Koreas signed an official agreement on forming the joint committee to run the factory park on Aug 29. The industrial zone, where 123 ROK's companies run factories, has been halted for around five months after the DPRK withdrew all of its workers from Kaesong in early April.

Seoul and Pyongyang agreed in principle to reopen the suspended factory park in mid-August, but it had yet to agree on how to run the zone that will be managed by the joint committee.

The delegates were expected to discuss a timetable for the full reopening of the factory park and a way of developing the inter- Korean industrial zone in a constructive way.

The joint committee will hold a regular meeting once every quarter. Four subcommittees in charge of personal safety, asset protection, passage, communications and customs, will gather regularly once a month.

The two Koreas also agreed to establish a standing secretariat to give administrative supports to the committee and subcommittees.

Details on the subcommittees and the secretariat will be discussed at the ongoing meeting.