Jeju Peace Institute

HONG Yang-ho(Co-chair of Kaesong Complex Forum / Former Vice Minister of Unification)

For South Korea, the Kaesong Industrial Complex Project raises a variety of policy implications, including (1) economic opportunities for small South Korean businesses and inter-Korean economic cooperation based on the principle of shared growth in economic terms, (2) the reduction of North Korean hostility towards South Korea, a relaxation of inter-Korean military tensions, and the creation of a peaceful environment on the Korean peninsula in political and military terms, (3) the promotion of understanding between Koreans on both sides, the recovery of national identity, and motivation for changes in North Korea in social and cultural terms, and (4) the creation of an inter-Korean economic community and preparations for national unification in terms of preparedness for reunification.

Briefly, the Kaesong Industrial Complex is “a model for peace on the Korean peninsula, for the shared growth of the two Koreas, and for a unified Korean economy.”

The two Koreas are therefore required to engage in more active and genuine discussions aimed at developing and expanding the Kaesong complex, which has such diverse policy implications for South Korea, and to attempt to settle a number of pending issues sooner rather than later.​