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Inter-Korean Factory Park Tough Sell To Outsiders

The two Koreas have taken an initial step to open their jointly run industrial park to overseas investors. But foreigners who toured the complex on Thursday say the compound in North Korea remains a tough sell despite its cheap labor.

Mnet 31534 Koreas Industrial Park

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The two Koreas have taken an initial step to open their jointly run industrial park to overseas investors.

But foreigners who toured the complex on Thursday say the compound in North Korea remains a tough sell despite its cheap labor.

The director of the London-based independent policy institute Chatham House, Paola Subacchi, says North Korea's government needs to change to attract overseas investors.

The tour occurred a week after North Korea executed Jang Song Thaek, the powerful uncle of its leader, Kim Jong Un.

The industrial park combines South Korean capital and technology with cheap North Korean labor.

Operations at the Kaesong complex were halted in April when North Korea withdrew its workers amid tensions over its threats of nuclear war. The complex reopened in September.

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