Borders fully reopened

On 17 March 2009 North Korea fully reopened the border with South Korea, after closing it twice in the past week. The border shutdown stranded hundreds of workers in Kaesong, a joint industrial complex on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The border was partially opened on 16 March, allowing more than 200 workers to return home. There has been no explanation for the closures; however, tensions on the peninsula have been heightened since the beginning of 2009, when Pyongyang cut ties and communication with Seoul.