The South Korean government said Saturday that it will not change the policy of keeping the Kaesong Industrial Complex open.

"Threat by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to shut down the Kaesong Industrial Complex does nothing helpful to the development of the Kaesong Industrial Complex and relationship between the north and south Korea," the government reiterated after DPRK declared a "state of war" with South Korea and threatened to shut down the industrial complex earlier Saturday, the Yonhap news agency reported.

"We will do our best to ensure the safety of our workers in the Kaesong Industrial Complex. There are still about 310 South Koreans in the Kaesong Industrial Complex till now," the government stressed.

DPRK threatened Saturday to shut down a joint industrial park with South Korea if the latter continued to insult its dignity, according to DPRK's official KCNA news agency.

The industrial park, located in the DPRK border city of Kaesong, was launched in 2004 to house around 120 South Korean companies that employ some 50,000 DPRK workers.

(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2013)