Minister of Unification Hong Yong-pyo has stressed that wages for North Korean laborers at the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex should be jointly decided by the two Koreas.
 
At a forum held by the Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation on Wednesday, Hong said South Korean companies with factories at the industrial park are facing difficulties and the public is concerned due to the wage dispute. 
 
While reaffirming Seoul's determination to resolve the issue through negotiations, Hong said the government will try to lay the groundwork to make the Gaeseong complex an international industrial park when the South-North joint committee running the complex meets on Thursday.
 
The two Koreas will hold the sixth meeting of the joint committee in Gaeseong on Thursday and discuss revising labor regulations, including the minimum wage, which was unilaterally raised by the North earlier this year.