The Kaesong Industrial Complex, jointly run by North and South Korea, has been the site of a deadlock over workers’ wages since February. Photo by Yonhap
SEOUL, July 9 (UPI) -- Despite a brewing dispute between North and South over the wages for North Korean workers at the Kaesong Industrial Complex, productivity at the factories has soared dramatically, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry.
The update from Seoul followed an announcement on Thursday that representatives from North and South Korea are to meet in Kaesong on July 16.
North Korea's chairman of a North-South joint committee agreed to a proposal for a sixth meeting between representatives of the two sides, Voice of America reported.
A Unification Ministry spokesman said the meeting in July is to be comprehensive in coverage, and details of issues such as the wage increase for North Korean workers in Kaesong are to be discussed through interoffice communication.
Seoul also said factory output in Kaesong was up from 2014. From January to April, when a sharp dispute over wages began to overshadow the joint North-South industrial project, production value was estimated to have reached $186 million, up 25 percent from $148 million from the same period in 2014.
Even during the height of the dispute in March and April, production value was up nearly 20 percent in each month from the year previous, Seoul said.
Kaesong has had its share of ups and downs, including a unilateral North Korea demand in February for an increase in North Korean workers' wages -- from a monthly minimum wage of $70.35 to $74. Seoul refused the request and tensions have ensued.
But long-term trends indicate the project has been enjoying a track record of strong growth since it began operations in 2005.
The number of North and South Koreans involved at Kaesong now stands at 55,000, up 2,000 from 2014, and the number of South Korean companies participating in the project has grown from 18 in 2005, to 124 at present.
An annual output value of $14.9 million in 2005 was up to $470 million in 2014, and cumulative production value since 2005 was up to $2.85 billion at the end of April.