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South Korean companies running factories at the Kaesong Industrial complex on Thursday crossed the inter-Korean border into the jointly-run industrial park with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), to bring back products and materials.
Seoul has made decisions to shut down the industrial zone.
More than a hundred of large trucks of the South Korean companies streamed across the border into the industrial park in the DPRK's border city of Kaesong. One, or at most two, truck was sent by each 124 South Korean firms to bring back products and materials from their factories in Kaesong, according to Seoul's unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs.
Such move came after Seoul decided Wednesday to shut down the last remaining cooperating project with the DPRK as part of the harsh prices, which South Korean President Park Geun-hye claimed Pyongyang should pay, over its long-range rocket launch on Sunday.
Pyongyang fired a long-range rocket on Sunday by using ballistic missile technology, which violated UN Security Council resolutions.
On Jan. 6, the DPRK tested what it said was its first H-bomb, following three previous atomic bomb tests in 2006, 2009 and 2013.
About 54,000 DPRK workers, hired by South Korean companies in Kaesong, didn't report to work Thursday as Seoul decided to completely stop operations at the inter-Korean factory park, which began manufacturing products in December 2004.
Seoul said 616 billion won (560 million U.S. dollars) has flown into the DPRK through the Kaesong park operations, believing that those funds have been used to advance nuclear and missile technology.
Planning to stay at the Kaesong industrial zone on Thursday will be 248 South Koreans who will complete the close-down of factories.
The South Korean government plans to provide financial compensation and support to companies having factories in Kaesong.
