[My Election] Kaesong Industrial Complex Company CEO "The Next 4 Years Will Be an Incredible Time, a Historic Election"

Park Yong-man, CEO of Green Fiber./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has torn daily life apart. It is an 'inconvenience' for everyone, but especially some are worrying about 'economic survival' as well as health. Amid this, a general election is being held. It is a moment that makes us reconsider the role of the nation and politics. It is not a 'someone else's election' but 'my election.' This is a proposition that applies to everyone without exception. We met five voters: a mother anxious about the postponed school opening, a pharmacist on the front lines of the mask war, a startup CEO hampered by regulations, a businessperson who calls the Kaesong Industrial Complex era a "golden age," and a self-employed person with nothing but sighs. [Editor's note]

"I think President Trump will try to restore relations with North Korea ahead of the presidential election. He has no other cards. North Korea is in desperate need of even a single loaf of bread. Tremendous things will happen to our people over the next four years, and the political sphere must surely play its role. That's why I see this as a 'historic general election.' If the Kaesong Industrial Complex had not been closed, we could have supplied masks worldwide."

Park Yong-man, CEO of Green Textile (60), is a representative inter-Korean cooperation entrepreneur who participated from the early days of the Kaesong Industrial Complex development. He said he spent a "golden age" for about 11 years at Kaesong Industrial Complex until its full suspension in February 2016.

Park said, "I think it was the most valuable and precious time for all resident companies. We were not in Kaesong Industrial Complex simply from a cost perspective. Despite the political risks, we worried every day and negotiated, but we took pride in playing a role in restoring ethnic homogeneity by working on-site and facing challenges head-on."

The suspension of operations meant a vertical drop. The invested cost reached 5 billion won. They expected it to reopen soon, but already more than four years have passed. The trust and affection built with North Korean workers remain intact. Park said, "At first, they were very cautious when I went there, but later they asked me, 'Sir CEO, my mother has liver problems; could you get some medicine that works well?' During holidays, we bought a truckload of tangerines at Garak Market and shared them; I remember their joy as they said it was their first time eating tangerines."

Park also proposed producing cloth masks through the Kaesong Industrial Complex when the mask shortage was severe. He mentioned, "The 1 million-pyeong complex is the most organized and controllable place, making it the most advantageous location for producing masks and protective suits."

He believes what politics must do is to reopen the channels for inter-Korean exchanges. For him, 'my election' is 'history.' Park said, "Regardless of ideological orientation, all citizens must exercise their voting rights to choose a path that leads our history in the right direction. It is frustrating that even when we want to share leftover bread among our people, we have to get permission from foreign powers. Expanding exchanges and meeting to find common ground among different perceptions is the way closer to unification."

Park Yong-man, CEO of Green Fiber./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.