Kaesong Industrial Region, Industrial economic zone in Kaesong, North Korea.
The Kaesong Industrial Region is a production area in the North Korean city where South Korean firms operated manufacturing plants. The site includes factory buildings, warehouses, and administrative offices designed for textile production, machine parts, and electronics assembly.
Operations began in December 2004 as an economic project between both Korean states. Closure came in February 2016 following political tensions and ended more than a decade of cross-border production.
The name derives from the nearby city and marks an area where companies from the South operated factories. The facilities remain largely unused after closure and document an attempt at cross-border economic cooperation.
The area lies north of the inter-Korean border and has been inaccessible to visitors since closure. Information about the current state of facilities remains limited and subject to diplomatic relations between both countries.
The zone generated roughly 100 million US dollars annually in wages for North Korean workers. This income represented a notable source of foreign currency in a country that remains largely isolated economically.
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