(VOVworld) - On Wednesday Seoul suspended operations at Kaesong Industrial Complex, an industrial complex run in cooperation with North Korea, in retaliation for a recent rocket launch and nuclear test by Pyongyang.

Visitors look at products made at Kaesong industrial complex in North Korea, displayed at the unification observation post in Paju near the border with North Korea, South Korea, Thursday, April 25, 2013. (Photo: AP/Ahn Young-joon)

The same day the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) expressed its hope that the decision will soon be lifted to minimize damages.

KITA said Kaesong Industrial Complex is always a symbol of reconciliation and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula, adding that its operation will be resumed at the latest. The association called on Pyongyang to stop escalating tension in order to attract more foreign investment. It also encouraged the Korean government to reconsider its decision.

Political parties in the Republic of Korea also responded to the decision. The ruling Saenuri Party said it respects the government’s decision considering it an indispensable method to end the North’s provocative acts. The Minjoo opposition Party opposed the decision saying that the move will increase tension in the Korean Peninsula.

On Thursday Seoul began to move its citizens out of the Kaesong industrial complex.