Made in North Korea
Shirts, men, women, black, white. Edition 500, 2010
The Made in North Korea collection was manufactured at the Kaesong Industrial Complex. This special economic zone is an inter-Korean joint venture, where South Korean companies have been able to operate inside North Korea, employing North Korean workers. It is an unique example of how business is politically granted the privilege of crossing borders that would otherwise be impassable. The shirts come with an artist book, which includes more than one thousand newspaper articles about the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which were collected during the production in 2010. At the time, the density of articles was at a peak due to an inter-Korean crisis. This situation led to more severe restrictions in the ties and communication channels between the two governments. The Kaesong Industrial Complex is an often-mentioned subject during these controversies because of the economic and political role it plays in the relationship between both Koreas as an effort towards reconciliation.