Park Geun-hye: "Kaesong Industrial Complex Operations Should Be Halted"

Park Geun-hye, former Grand National Party representative and one of the leading presidential candidates, said on the 19th, "The right approach is to halt operations at the Kaesong Industrial Complex."

Park made the remarks while meeting with reporters ahead of a parliamentary audit of Gyeonggi Province by the National Assembly's Committee on Public Administration and Security, stating, "In a situation where North Korea could conduct a second nuclear test, support for the Kaesong Industrial Complex could be diverted (to the nuclear test)."

Regarding Gyeonggi Province's suspension of inter-Korean agricultural cooperation projects and other North Korea aid following the nuclear crisis, Park added, "The current situation is an emergency and crisis, so we must strengthen international coordination and cooperation," and said, "I believe Gyeonggi Province's measures were appropriate."

Earlier, Park had visited Haenam County in South Jeolla Province on the previous day to support candidates in the October 25 by-elections, stating, "While we may suffer losses because of North Korea, we cannot die because of North Korea," and criticized the current administration's engagement policy toward the North.