South Korea’s trade with North Korea declined almost 40 percent in the first half from a year earlier, hit by the suspension of operations at a joint industrial complex in the North, data showed Friday.

The value of inter-Korean trade reached $559.1 million in the January-June period, compared with $930 million in the same period last year, according to data by Statistics Korea.

The sharp decline was mainly attributable to the suspended operations of the Gaeseong industrial complex in the North’s border city of the same name amid soaring tensions following the North’s third nuclear test.

The joint industrial complex came to a halt in early April when Pyongyang pulled out all of its 53,000 workers from the factory zone.

The two Koreas agreed last week to reopen it, which would help thaw chilled inter-Korean relations.

Inter-Korean trade amounted to $180.6 million in January, but the value of such trade fell to $22 million in April when the industrial complex was shut down and amounted to $464,000 million in June, data showed. (Yonhap News)