More than eight out of 10 S. Korean companies are willing to do inter-Korean business after unification

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. But most of them say icy inter-Korean ties probably means unification is still a long way off.Sohn Jung-in has more. 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.The survey showed that 87 percent of the respondents would be interested in doing business in North Korea.Among them, 31 percent said they would actively promote the move, while 56 percent said they would do so if certain conditions were met.Only 13 percent said they would not be interested even after unification. Of the companies interested, they regarded the border cities of Kaesong and Haeju as the most desired places to do business.They were followed by the capital area of Pyongyang and Nampo,... and cities bordering China such as Sinuiju and Hwanggumpyong Island. 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.While the majority shared the view that unification is necessary, 70 percent said inter-Korean ties were stalled.The KCCI said inter-Korean economic cooperation would help reduce the cost of unification.It added that the two Koreas should engage in active dialogue and negotiation to seek more versatile and specific cross-border exchanges.Sohn Jung-in, Arirang News.