The remark came after the last-remaining South Koreans began pulling out of the complex in the North's border city of Kaesong under a government order. The South's government made the decision after North Korea turned down its offer to resolve the issue through dialogue.
On Saturday, 126 people came back to the South with the remaining 50 workers scheduled to return Monday afternoon, leaving no South Koreans at the complex for the first time since the zone went into operation in late 2004 as a prominent symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation.
"Over the past weekend, (some of) the remaining workers returned from the Kaesong industrial complex. Now the government should do its best to provide substantial support for related businesses and workers so as to help them not lose hope," Park said during a weekly meeting with senior secretaries.
"People around the world watch on TV our workers coming out of the Kaesong complex while trying to carry as many products as possible on the roofs of their cars. In a situation where a mutual agreement turns abruptly into bubbles, who would be willing to make investments in North Korea?" she said.
Kaesong's operations came to a halt earlier this month as North Korea withdrew all of its 53,000 workers from the 123 South Korean factories in the zone. Pyongyang has also barred South Koreans, parts and supplies from entering the complex while allowing only those already there to return to the South.
In response, North Korea accused the South of seeking to incite confrontation with the communist country. Kaesong's suspension was one of a string of steps that Pyongyang has taken in anger over American-involved annual military exercises in the South and a new U.N. sanctions resolution adopted after its third nuclear test in February.
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jschang@yna.co.kr
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