DPRK bans S. Korean workers' entrance to Kaesong industrial zone

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) banned South Korean workers' entrance to the joint industrial complex at the DPRK's border town of Kaesong, only allowing the workers to leave Kaesong to Seoul, the unification ministry said Wednesday.

"In the morning, North Korea (DPRK) notified us of the ban of entrance to the Kaesong industrial park, while only allowing for leaving Kaesong," Kim Hyung-seok, spokesman of the Ministry of Unification in charge of dialogue and cooperation with the DPRK, told reporters at a press conference.

Kim said that the South Korean government "deeply regrets the failure of normal cross-border movement" in and out of the inter- Korean industrial zone, noting that it will put its top priority at ensuring the safety of workers at the industrial site.