North Korea's Kaesong industrial complex, where 123 South Korean firms employ 53,000 local workers, is a barometer of the volatile relations between Pyongyang and Seoul.
In April the North closed the complex for more than five months, citing political and military provocations by Seoul. Kaesong reopened on September 16, but now the barometer seems set for a period of fair weather in the relationship. Pyongyang has agreed to a radio frequency ID system that will allow South Korean managers to cross the heavily militarized border at any hour of the day.
