A survey has shown that almost nine out of ten South Korean companies are willing to do business in North Korea after the divided peninsula is unified. <br />But most of them say icy inter-Korean ties probably means unification is still a long way off.<br />Sohn Jung-in has more. <br />The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry has published its survey result conducted on 500 companies in South Korea on inter-Korean business after unification.<br />The survey showed that 87 percent of the respondents would be interested in doing business in North Korea.<br />Among them, 31 percent said they would actively promote the move, while 56 percent said they would do so if certain conditions were met.<br />Only 13 percent said they would not be interested even after unification. <br /><br />Of the companies interested, they regarded the border cities of Kaesong and Haeju as the most desired places to do business.<br />They were followed by the capital area of Pyongyang and Nampo,... and cities bordering China such as Sinuiju and Hwanggumpyong Island. <br /><br />As for the type of business, the respondents said they were most interested in developing natural resources and building infrastructure, such as bridges and roads as well as establishing manufacturing bases.<br />While the majority shared the view that unification is necessary, 70 percent said inter-Korean ties were stalled.<br /><br />The KCCI said inter-Korean economic cooperation would help reduce the cost of unification.<br />It added that the two Koreas should engage in active dialogue and negotiation to seek more versatile and specific cross-border exchanges.<br />Sohn Jung-in, Arirang News.
