South Korean workers leave Kaesong

SEOUL - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday allowed all but seven South Koreans to return home from the Kaesong joint industrial park, local media reported.

The 43 South Koreans had entered the South Korean territory by bus, said a local TV station.

The last batch of 50 South Koreans had originally been scheduled to return home earlier in the day but seven had to stay behind to settle accounting and other unresolved matters, according to the Yonhap news agency.

"The North side (DPRK) gave permission for 43 people to leave, and they crossed the military demarcation line," the agency reported, quoting an official of the South Korean Unification Ministry, which deals with cross-border affairs with the DPRK.

The official predicted that the seven will probably not be able to return home on Tuesday.

The DPRK on April 9 withdrew all of its 53,000 workers from the Kaesong Industrial Complex, citing US-South Korea joint military exercises.

After the DPRK turned down its offer of dialogue, South Korea decided on Friday to pull all of its workers and managers from the industrial complex.