The government will provide special loans to help South Korean companies financially hit by the shutdown of the inter-Korean Gaeseong Industrial Complex.
  
The decision was made in a meeting of a government task force supporting the companies on Thursday.
  
The special loans worth 550 billion won, or roughly 445 million U.S. dollars, will be provided to the Gaeseong firms through the Inter-Korean Cooperation Fund, the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund and the Korea Technology Finance Corporation and state-run banks like Korea Development Bank.
  
The funds will be utilized to keep companies in operation, such as helping bear the expense of setting up alternative production facilities at home and abroad.

The amount of the special loans is 200 billion won more than what was provided to companies during the 2013 suspension of the inter-Korean joint venture.
 
The loan period has been also extended from one year to three years.