A SOUTHWEST Airlines flight has been diverted and forced to do an emergency landing after a mid-air security threat.
Flight 2094 from Nashville to Fort Lauderdale was forced to cut the journey short and land at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 9:06pm on Friday night.
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Tactical officers were filmed boarding the aircraft and detaining a passengerCredit: TiktokA Southwest flight was diverted after a mid-air security threat that ended in a passenger being detained (stock)Credit: Alamy
While thousands of feet in the air, a security threat was reported which saw tactical cops storm the aircraft upon landing and detain a passenger.
A video allegedly taken on board the flight showed the moment a man was dragged off the flight by the Atlanta Police Department.
The clip shared on X showed terrified passengers with their hands raised above their heads as cops cuffed a passenger and took him off the aircraft.
The text on the clip claimed that there had been a bomb threat but this has not been commented on by the airline or police.
In a statement, Southwest said the diversion came due to a “possible security matter.”
“We appreciate the professionalism of our flight crew and sincerely apologize to our customers for the significant delay,” the spokesperson said.
“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees.”
The Atlanta Police Department confirmed it worked with federal partners to attend to “last night’s incident” at the airport.
The nature of the security threat and if the passenger removed will face any charges remains unclear.
It is not known if the passenger is still in police detention.
Officials have not commented if any dangerous items were found onboard.
After the police activity, all passengers boarded another plane and continued their journey to Fort Lauderdale where they arrived safely just before 3:30am.
The airline has apologized to all affected passengers.
It comes as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains on shutdown over funding disagreements which former Security Secretary Kristi Noem said is “endangering national security.”
The DHS has been shut down since February 14 which Noem said has negatively impacted and put huge pressure on TSA and border patrol.
In addition to this, Republicans have warned that the country is under an increased domestic terror threat due to the recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
“Now is the time to be vigilant at home and to ensure that all of our doors are locked, so to speak,” Speaker Mike Johnson, warned on Wednesday as he discussed the continued shutdown.
“Senate needs to fund the TSA. They’ve had them the Coast Guard, FEMA and Cybersecurity CISA on shut down for 3 weeks. We will surely see more of this,” one viewer of the footage from the diverted aircraft said.
“Unfortunately there’s going to be a lot more of this coming,” another said.
Someone allegedly onboard the flight claimed there had been a bomb threat, which has not been commented on by officialsCredit: Tiktok
Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown is not satisfied with an apology he received from the city of Beverly Hills on Thursday, days after police shut down an event he was hosting in the city’s Trousdale Estates neighborhood.
The apology was not for shutting down the event. Instead, it was for including what the city called “inaccurate information” in its initial statement about the event.
Brown told ESPN’s Andscape he is considering legal action against the city after it “embarrassed my brand and my team” and then continued “to tell untruths in [its] apology statement.”
The promotional event for Brown’s performance brand, 741, was held last weekend at the home of Oakley founder Jim Jannard on the eve of the NBA All-Star Game at Intuit Dome. It was scheduled to include a panel discussion featuring National Basketball Players Assn. president Andre Iguodala followed by an after-party with around 200 invited guests.
In an X post after his event was stopped, Brown wrote, “300k down the drain.” On Thursday, in response to the city’s statement, Brown wrote on X: “You targeted me and my @741Performance event based on biased information then you give a half a— apology after the damage is already done.”
The Times reached out to the city of Beverly Hills on Friday for a response to Brown’s comments concerning the incident, including his mention of possible legal action. A representative referred The Times to the statement released the previous day.
The city’s first statement, issued Sunday, said that “an event permit had been applied for and denied by the City due to previous violations associated with events at the address” and “organizers still chose to proceed with inviting hundreds of guests knowing that it was not allowed to occur.”
On Thursday, the city issued a second release saying that upon further internal review it had determined that “no permit application was submitted nor denied for the event and the residence does not have any prior related violations on record.”
The release included a statement from city manager Nancy Hunt-Coffey, who apologized for the inaccurate information but asserted that the city still had reason to shut down the event.
“The City’s previous statement about the weekend event at the Trousdale home was inaccurate, and on behalf of the City, I would like to apologize to Jaylen Brown and the Jannard family,” Hunt-Coffey said.
“The City has a responsibility to its residents and neighborhoods to ensure adherence to established regulations for events held at private residences. These are designed to support the safety and welfare of neighbors and attendees. City staff observed circumstances that are believed to be City code violations and for that reason alone, the event was ended.”
Brown was far from satisfied with the apology.
“The city has now stated the event was shut down because officials believed codes were being violated,” he said in a statement released by Jalen Brown Enterprises Inc. “A private gathering cannot lawfully be terminated based on assumption alone, particularly when no official ever entered the residence to observe conditions or verify any alleged violation.
“This was a private, invitation-only gathering at a private home among friends and partners, not a public or commercial event requiring a permit. … No proof of any alleged violation was ever produced to the homeowner, our team, or legal counsel. Without observation, documentation or confirmed violations, enforcement action based on belief alone raises serious due-process concerns.
“Jalen Brown Enterprises Inc. supports lawful compliance and cooperative engagement with municipalities wherever we operate. However, this private residential gathering was interrupted without substantiated cause, resulting in significant financial and reputational harm.”
“We remain open to a constructive resolution with the city of Beverly Hills.”
Brown had more to say on the matter after the Celtics’ 121-110 win over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night in San Francisco.
“This is All-Star Weekend at 7 p.m. I just wanted to enjoy myself. And I feel like that got taken away, and I got embarrassed to some degree,” said Brown, who was named an All-Star starter for the first time this year. He added, “I feel like that apology, you know, even in the statement they put out, they included some stuff that wasn’t true, even in an apology. So I don’t think that apology was acceptable.
“I lost a lot of money … and then people were making assumptions, like we didn’t go through the proper protocols. So that’s just all around a bad look, leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’m extremely offended. My team is offended still. I’m not sure what the conclusion is going to be. All I know is that, that was some bulls—.”
Brown said he heard about the city’s most recent statement on his way to the game and that it fueled his third triple-double of the season (23 points, 15 rebounds, 13 assists).
“I wasn’t even thinking about the game,” said Brown, who will be back in Los Angeles when the Celtics play the Lakers on Sunday. “I was pissed. I was still pissed.”
Feb. 20 (UPI) — The 43-day government shutdown in the fall stymied U.S. gross domestic product growth in the fourth quarter, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Friday.
GDP for the fourth quarter of 2025 grew by 1.4% on an annual basis, more than a full point below the Dow Jones estimate of 2.5%. Consumer spending climbed more slowly than expected, while government spending lagged behind greatly.
The slowdown in growth is significant when compared to the 4.4% growth recorded in the third quarter.
While economic growth slowed, inflation continued to apply pressure. The personal consumption expenditures price index, the key measurement of inflation used by the Federal Reserve, increased by 2.9%, well above the Fed’s 2% target.
The price index for GDP purchases rose 3.7%, accelerating from 3.4% in quarter three.
The BEA report says the full effects of the record government shutdown “cannot be quantified” as the data cannot be separated. It still estimated the effects of reduced labor services by government employees.
Hundreds of thousands of government employees were furloughed during the shutdown.
“BEA estimates that this reduction in services provided by the federal government subtracted about 1.0 percentage point from real GDP growth in the fourth quarter,” the report says.
Government spending in defense and nondefense declined, as did spending on exports.
Health care services were a leading source of growth in consumer spending. Decreased spending on goods offset this growth.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Thursday. The Trump administration has announced the finalization of rules that revoke the EPA’s ability to regulate climate pollution by ending the endangerment finding that determined six greenhouse gases could be categorized as dangerous to human health. Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
SPRING Break travelers are set to be hit by disruption amid the partial government shutdown.
Major airlines and travel groups have urged Congress to sort out funding for thousands of Transportation and Security Administration workers.
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Millions of high school and college students are preparing to travel nationwide for Spring breakCredit: Getty50,000 TSA workers will be hit by the partial government shutdownCredit: Reuters
It comes as millions of high school and college students are preparing to travel nationwide for Spring break.
The annual one-to-two-week academic vacation period is kicking off soon.
But, holidaymakers and flyers will be hit by annoying flight delays and longer wait times at security due to the partial US homeland security shutdown, according to travel groups and airlines.
And, TSA staff are likely to suffer financially, reported Simple Flying on Saturday.
“Not again: 50,000 TSA officers face unpaid work as shutdown threatens Spring Break travel,” its headline warned.
“As yet another government shutdown looms, so does one of the busiest travel times of the Year — spring break,” said U.S. Travel, Airlines for America, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association in a joint statement last Friday.
“Travelers and the U.S. economy cannot afford to have essential TSA personnel working without pay.”
They warned that the funding delays raise “the risk of unscheduled absences and call outs, and ultimately can lead to higher wait times and missed or delayed flights.”
The annual one-to-two-week academic vacation period is kicking off soonCredit: Getty
The partial government shutdown began on Saturday over money for the Department of Homeland Security.
Congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump’s team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund the department through September.
And their inability to reach a compromise has sparked huge concern within the travel and hospitality industry – particularly with Spring break looming, plus the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The United States, along with Canada and Mexico, will be hosting the biennial football competition from June 11 through July 20.
Airlines for America also warned that funding uncertainty is “creating lasting damage to the entire travel ecosystem.”
The organization said the damaging interruption would hit “airlines, hotels and thousands of small businesses the travel industry supports.”
Tips on getting through TSA security faster during the 2026 partial shutdown
Funding for the DHS expired at midnight last Friday
The 95% of TSA workers deemed essential personnel will be required to keep working – but without pay.
To minimize delays at the airport:
Arrive at the airport with ample time to pass through airport security – about 1–2 hours before your flight
Ensuring you are dressed without excess layers or metal devices
Slip-on shoes also make the screening at TSA much quicker
“With America’s 250th anniversary and the 2026 World Cup this summer, the nation should be focused on showcasing the country on the world stage and maximizing the multi-billion-dollar economic opportunity these events bring,” the statement added.
“A lapse in TSA funding will significantly undermine those efforts.
“Last year’s shutdown alone resulted in an economic impact of $6 billion —nearly $140 million per day — and disrupted travel for more than 6 million travelers.”
FATAL SHOOTINGS
It comes days after Delta Air Lines’ boss told international visitors ahead of the World Cup that the U.S. remains a welcoming destination despite the controversial crackdown on immigration.
“Hopefully, the World Cup will bring a lot of Europeans, a lot of international visitors into the US market,” said Ed Bastian last Thursday.
“Yes, the US has a focus on immigration. This is not immigration. This is tourism,” Bastian added.
“And as long as people are coming with the proper credentials, they’re not having any issues.”
Democrats are demanding changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.
Congress is on recess until February 23.
OFF SICK
The longer the shutdown continues, the more likely flyers will be hit with delays as they will have to queue in longer lines at airports if workers call in sick.
Ha Nguyen McNeill, the acting TSA administrator, explained last Wednesday that TSA remained “laser-focused on returning the U.S. back to being the top global travel destination.”
Spring break 2026 – in numbers
Spring breakers are primarily high school and college students
2 million college students travel for the holiday nationwide
Florida enjoys a $2.7 billion economic windfall from Spring break
Cancun’s Spring break tourism brings in $300 million yearly
More than 500,000 students flock to South Beach Miami
1.5 million visitors attend Spring break in Panama City Beach
Only around 30% of bookings are made within 30 days of travel
The most popular domestic beach destinations this year are: Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Los Angeles, and San Diego
However, this can’t happen “in a timely manner if Congress does not fund DHS through the end of Fiscal Year 2026.”
“With the United States hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June of this year, TSA does not have the luxury of time to prepare for the influx of passengers and international travelers,” McNeill warned.
“A lack of funding and predictability will pose significant challenges on our ability to deliver transportation security for the American public with the level of excellence we expect, and the American taxpayer deserves.”
A shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that took effect early Saturday affects the agency responsible for screening passengers and bags at airports across the country. Travelers with airline reservations may be nervously recalling a 43-day government shutdown that led to historic flight cancellations and long delays last year.
Transportation Security Administration officers are expected to work without pay while lawmakers remain without an agreement on Homeland Security’s annual funding. TSA officers also worked through the record shutdown that ended Nov. 12, but aviation experts say this one may play out differently.
Trade groups for the U.S. travel industry and major airlines nonetheless warned that the longer Homeland Security appropriations are lapsed, the longer security lines at the nation’s commercial airports could get.
Here’s what to know about the latest shutdown and how to plan ahead.
What’s different about this shutdown?
Funding for Homeland Security expired at midnight Friday. But the rest of the federal government is funded through Sept. 30. That means air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration will receive paychecks as usual, reducing the risk of widespread flight cancellations.
According to the department’s contingency plan, about 95% of TSA workers are deemed essential personnel and required to keep working. Democrats in the House and Senate say the Department of Homeland Security won’t get funded until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations.
During past shutdowns, disruptions to air travel tended to build over time, not overnight. About a month into last year’s shutdown, for example, TSA temporarily closed two checkpoints at Philadelphia International Airport. That same day, the government took the extraordinary step of ordering all commercial airlines to reduce their domestic flight schedules.
John Rose, chief risk officer for global travel management company Altour, said strains could surface at airports more quickly this time because the TSA workforce also will be remembering the last shutdown.
“It’s still fresh in their minds and potentially their pocketbooks,” Rose said.
What is the impact on travelers?
It’s hard to predict whether, when or where security screening snags might pop up. Even a handful of unscheduled TSA absences could quickly lead to longer wait times at smaller airports, for example, if there’s just a single security checkpoint.
That’s why travelers should plan to arrive early and allow extra time to get through security.
“I tell people to do this even in good times,” Rose said.
Experts say flight delays also are a possibility even though air traffic controllers are not affected by the Homeland Security Department shutdown.
Airlines might decide to delay departures in some cases to wait for passengers to clear screening, said Rich Davis, senior security advisor at risk mitigation company International SOS. Shortages of TSA officers also could slow the screening of checked luggage behind the scenes.
What travelers can do to prepare
Most airports display security line wait times on their websites, but travelers shouldn’t wait until the day of a flight to check them, Rose advised.
“You may look online and it says 2½ hours,” he said. “Now it’s 2½ hours before your flight and you haven’t left for the airport yet.”
Passengers should also pay close attention while packing since prohibited items are likely to prolong the screening process. For carry-on bags, avoid bringing full-size shampoo or other liquids, large gels or aerosols and items like pocketknives.
TSA has a full list on its website of what is and isn’t allowed in carry-on and checked luggage.
At the airport, Rose said, remember to “practice patience and empathy.”
“Not only are they not getting paid,” he said of TSA agents, “they’re probably working with reduced staff and dealing with angry travelers.”
Will the shutdown drag on?
The White House has been negotiating with Democratic lawmakers, but the two sides failed to reach a deal by the end of the week before senators and House members were set to leave Washington for a 10-day break.
Lawmakers in both chambers were on notice, however, to return if a deal to end the shutdown is struck.
Democrats have said they won’t vote to approve more Homeland Security funding until new restrictions are placed on federal immigration operations after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by immigration agents in Minneapolis last month.
In a joint statement, U.S. Travel, Airlines for America and the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. warned that the shutdown threatens to disrupt air travel as the busy spring break travel season approaches.
“Travelers and the U.S. economy cannot afford to have essential TSA personnel working without pay, which increases the risk of unscheduled absences and call outs, and ultimately can lead to higher wait times and missed or delayed flights,” the statement said.
WASHINGTON — A dispute over whether federal immigration agents should be allowed to wear masks during enforcement operations has become one of the biggest obstacles to keeping the Department of Homeland Security funded, pushing the government toward a partial shutdown early Saturday.
Democrats have described the practice as corrosive to public trust, arguing that masked agents create the appearance of a “secret police” force. Republican lawmakers, President Trump and his top advisors, meanwhile, have drawn a hard line against requiring officers to remove their face coverings, insisting that doing so would expose them to harassment, threats and online doxxing.
“They want our law enforcement to be totally vulnerable and put them in a lot of danger,” Trump said at a White House event Thursday. He added that it would be “very, very hard to approve” Democrats’ demands, such as unmasking federal officers.
The standoff over masking stalled negotiations as lawmakers raced to meet a funding deadline for the Department of Homeland Security at midnight Friday. Without a deal, key agency functions — from airport security to disaster relief coordination — could be affected if the shutdown drags on.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) rides the Senate subway Thursday ahead of the latest partial government shutdown.
(Graeme Sloan / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
As with every shutdown, the agency’s essential functions will continue to operate, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant Homeland Security secretary for public affairs, said in a statement. But employees performing those functions at agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, and the Transportation Security Administration could go without pay if the shutdown stretches for weeks.
The heads of those agencies told the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday that the shutdown is expected to create severe and lasting challenges.
Vice Adm. Thomas Allan, the acting vice commandant of the Coast Guard, said a shutdown would delay maintenance for boats and aircraft, and halt pay for 56,000 active-duty reserve and civilian personnel. Ha Nguyen McNeill, acting administrator of TSA, recounted how the last government shutdown affected her workers and spiked wait times at airports.
“We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma and taking on second jobs to make ends meet,” she said, adding that some are still recovering from the financial impact.
Operations within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection — the agencies that are central to the budget impasse — are likely to be the least affected. That’s because both agencies still have access to $75 billion in funding approved last year as part of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”
By midday Friday, it remained unclear when the partial shutdown would end, as lawmakers left Washington for a security conference in Munich and progress between Democratic and White House negotiators remained nebulous.
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters on Friday when asked about cutting a deal. “We always have to protect our law enforcement.”
The partial government shutdown comes at a moment of acute public anger at the agency’s approach to immigration enforcement, which has included the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis.
But Democrats maintain that they need reforms written into law. Among their demands is requiring officers to wear and turn on body cameras, banning them from wearing masks, and ending the practice of “roving patrols” and instead requiring that they carry out only targeted operations.
“We will not support an extension of the status quo, a status quo that permits masked secret police to barge into people’s homes without warrants, no guardrails and zero oversight from independent authorities,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday.
Todd M. Lyons, the acting director of ICE, told a Senate panel Thursday that he does not want to see federal agents masked either, but said he is hesitant to bar face coverings because the threats to agents are too severe.
“I would work with this committee and any committee to work with holding individuals accountable that doxx ICE agents, because ICE agents don’t want to be masked,” Lyons said. “They’re honorable men and women, but the threats against their family are real.”
Federal immigration officials are more supportive of body cameras.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott told a House committee on Tuesday that he supports expanding the use of body cameras, but said more funding is needed to hire personnel to oversee the rollout.
“Fund the entire program so that we can be transparent and that we can make sure America knows what we’re doing, because that trust is critically important,” he said.
Ben Johnson, executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Assn., said that while the White House has made some “tweaks around oversight,” its actions continue to fall short.
The association, which represents 18,000 immigration attorneys, has urged Congress to refuse more funding for ICE and CBP before implementing reforms.
“The American public wants and deserves real, meaningful guardrails that are written into law that ensure this administration — and, quite frankly, any administration — will abide by the Constitution and respect fundamental principles of due process,” Johnson said Wednesday on a call with reporters.
“Congress has a critical opportunity right now to meet that demand,” he added.
Republican Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky talk during a hearing Thursday on oversight of federal immigration agencies.
(Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)
So far, Democrats maintain they will continue to bock funding bills without accountability measures in place.
California’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, were among the Senate Democrats who helped block passage of funding bills Thursday that would have averted a shutdown because they lacked accountability measures.
“I will not support more funding for ICE until there are new guardrails to rein in its lawless conduct,” Schiff wrote on X. “I’m a no on anything but real reform.”
Padilla said he would be a “firm no” until lawmakers agree that federal immigration officers need to be held accountable.
“Donald Trump and Republicans want Americans to forget about their lawless immigration roundup, but we won’t,” Padilla said.
Feb. 12 (UPI) — The Department of Homeland Security likely will shut down early Saturday after Senate Democrats blocked a funding bill Thursday.
The Senate voted 52-47 to approve House Resolution 7147, which would have funded the department through Sept. 30. The House narrowly approved the measure Wednesday.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., was the only Senate Democrat to vote in favor of the funding measure, which failed to muster the 60 votes needed to overcome the Senate’s filibuster rule.
Senate Republican leader John Thune of South Dakota voted against the measure to keep open a procedural mechanism that would enable the Senate to quickly revisit the measure in a floor vote.
During floor debate, Thune said the House and Senate three weeks ago reached a bipartisan agreement that would fund Homeland Security for the remainder of the 2026 fiscal year that started Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30.
That agreement included requiring federal immigration enforcement officers to wear body cams and cease enforcement sweeps in favor of more targeted operations.
“It included funding for de-escalation training for ICE, and it included additional oversight for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol spending,” Thune said.
“And then Democrats reneged on the agreement,” he added. “And so, we are here.”
After defeating the funding measure, Senate Democrats in a statement “demanded Republicans get serious and work with Democrats to pass common sense reforms and rein in ICE and end the violence” that has occurred in Minneapolis.
“They need to sit down. They need to negotiate in good faith, produce legislation that actually reins in ICE and stops the violence,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday.
After the measure failed Thursday, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., proposed extending the current short-term extension of the agency’s 2025 funding that expires at the end of the day Friday.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., opposed that effort, which effectively ended it.
The Department of Homeland Security shutdown would affect the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Science and Technology Directorate, Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which processes visa applications.
It also would affect the Coast Guard, Secret Service, Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE and the CBP would not shut down, though, as both were funded for three years via the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 and will continue enforcing federal immigration laws.
President Donald Trump speaks alongside Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency Lee Zeldin in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Thursday. The Trump administration has announced the finalization of rules that revoke the EPA’s ability to regulate climate pollution by ending the endangerment finding that determined six greenhouse gases could be categorized as dangerous to human health. Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo
A view of the Kaesong Industrial Complex, an inter-Korean factory park in the North Korean border city of Kaesong, as visible from a South Korean observatory in Paju, South Korea, 25 October 2018, during a visit to the observatory by members of the parliamentary land and transportation committee. File. Photo by YONHAP / EPA
Feb. 10 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Tuesday that the 2016 suspension of the Kaesong Industrial Complex was a “self-inflicted act” that damaged inter-Korean trust and expressed “deep regret” toward North Korea, while stopping short of citing Pyongyang’s provocations that led to the shutdown.
The statement was released to mark the 10th anniversary of the closure of the joint industrial park, once seen as a symbol of economic cooperation between the two Koreas.
The ministry said South and North Korea signed an agreement in August 2013 guaranteeing normal operations at Kaesong regardless of political or security conditions, adding that the deal had been reached at South Korea’s strong request. The remark was widely interpreted as criticism of the administration of former President Park Geun-hye, which ordered the complex’s full suspension in 2016.
The ministry also expressed regret that the complex was not restarted during the administration of former President Moon Jae-in.
It said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stated in January 2019 that he was willing to reopen the Kaesong Industrial Complex “without any preconditions or compensation,” but South Korea failed to take follow-up measures, missing what it described as a critical opportunity.
The ministry said it hopes for an early normalization of the complex and announced plans to restore the Kaesong Industrial Complex Support Foundation, which was dissolved in 2024, as part of preparatory steps. It also pledged to work with relevant government agencies to support South Korean companies that have suffered financial and psychological hardship due to the prolonged shutdown.
Kaesong has faced repeated suspensions since its launch. Operations were halted in 2013 after North Korea conducted its third nuclear test and withdrew its workers, but later resumed after the two sides agreed on measures to prevent recurrence. In 2016, following North Korea’s fourth nuclear test and a long-range ballistic missile launch, the Park administration ordered a full shutdown, citing concerns that wages paid to North Korean workers were being diverted to Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
A Unification Ministry official told reporters that the latest statement was not intended to deny North Korea’s provocations but to emphasize the government’s position on reopening the complex.
“North Korea carried out nuclear tests, but our decision to completely shut down the complex ended up harming South Korean companies and closing a key channel of inter-Korean communication,” the official said. “This message expresses regret to the North for undermining trust in inter-Korean relations.”
The ministry confirmed that North Korea is currently operating about 40 factories inside the Kaesong Industrial Complex without authorization but did not comment further on the issue.
