File Photo of North Korean worker at a factory of South Korean apparel maker Shinwon in the Kaesong Industrial Complex. File Photo by EPA/Park Jin-hee.

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- North Korea appears to be running clothing factories in Kaesong Industrial Complex, an inter-Korean zone that was supposed to have shut down two years ago.

Radio Free Asia quoted Asia Press on Tuesday which claimed clothes produced in the facilities, known locally as "products from the complex" are being sold to wealthy North Koreans.


The clothes come without labels or logos and are more expensive than Chinese products due to their higher quality, according the Asia Press report.

The workers at the clothing factories reportedly receive 16,000 North Korean won, or about $2 a day, in wages while those who iron earn about 10,000 won, or less than a dollar.

High-performing employees receive some 500,000 won (under $70) in monthly bonuses, bringing their wages to about 3.3 million won (around $450) to 3.6 million won (around $500) per month, the report said.

In February 2016, South Korea decided to freeze operations at Kaesong following the North's nuclear test and long-range rocket launch.

A total of 124 South Korean businesses were forced to leave the premises.

Last year, there were reports that North Korea may have restarted operations at the joint Korean complex, without the South's consent, running 19 factories to produce clothing for export to China or for domestic consumption.