Koreas set up dispute arbitration panel for Kaesong complex

South and North Korea set up a dispute arbitration panel for a jointly run factory park in the communist nation, an official said Friday, despite tensions on the divided peninsula. The move came three months after the sides agreed to set up the panel handling possible legal disputes in the factory park in the North's western border city of Kaesong, unification ministry spokesman Kim Eyi-do told reporters. On Thursday, North Korea sent a list of five panel members to South Korea. Seoul has already sent its list of five officials to Pyongyang. Kim said the panel could begin to handle possible legal disputes in early March after the sides work out details on arbitration regulations. The North's latest move came days after it threatened to mercilessly strike South Korea for an alleged insult to its leader Kim Jong-un by South Korean protesters. South Korea has vowed to retaliate against any North Korean provocations. Still, the sides have maintained the sprawling factory park, home to 120 small South Korean plants producing garments and other labor-intensive goods. More than 44,000 North Koreans work in the complex.