North Korea said on Tuesday it would allow South Korean businessmen to visit their plants in a shuttered joint economic zone, but declined Seoul’s offer of official working-level talks on the complex.
The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea (CPRK), which handles ties with the South, said it had approved a trip by Seoul businessmen to the Kaesong complex and would guarantee their safety.
Operations at Kaesong ground to a halt after the North pulled all its workers out in early April amid soaring military tensions with Seoul.
The South withdrew its managers and officials soon afterwards, but many asked to return to check up on their machinery, as well as stocks of raw materials and finished goods they were forced to leave behind.
Seoul insists Pyongyang must first agree to working-level talks on the assets of the South Korean firms and other issues.
The CPRK statement argued that such discussions could be held with the businessmen when they arrive.