Number: RL34093
Title: The Kaesong North-South Korean Industrial Complex
Authors: Dick K. Nanto and Mark E. Manyin, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: This report provides an overview of the role, purposes, and results of the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC) and examines U.S. interests, policy issues, options, and legislation. The KIC is an industrial park located in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) just across the demilitarized zone from South Korea. Currently, over 50 medium-sized South Korean companies are using North Korean labor to manufacture products in Kaesong, but projections are for as many 2,000 firms to locate there. The complex was planned, developed, and financed largely by South Korea, and it has become a symbol of the growing level of engagement between the North and the South. The United States officially supports the KIC.
Pages: 23
Date: February 14, 2008