UN chief to visit North Korea on Friday

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Tuesday that he will visit the Kaesong industrial complex in North Korea on Friday to promote trust and reduce tensions between the two Koreas, Efe news agency reported.

Ban, who is attending the World Education Forum in Incheon in his native South Korea, confirmed his trip, making him the first UN chief to visit the complex, the most significant remains of inter-Korean reconciliation from the last decade.

The UN chief said he would do everything possible to foster better inter-Korean relations and promote reconciliation and stability in the region.

"The Kaesong project is a win-win model for both Koreas," he said.

Kaesong, located in southwestern North Korea, has more than 120 South Korean manufacturing firms that take advantage of cheap labour costs in the Communist country.

Ban said he planned to meet with representatives from South Korean firms as well as North Korean workers.

The news of Ban's visit to the North Korean industrial complex comes at moment of contention between the two Koreas.

Beside military tension, conflicts arise from disputes regarding the salaries of North Korean workers in Kaesong.