Inter-Korean Buddhist mass praying for reunification held in DPRK
PYONGYANG, Oct. 13, 2009 (Xinhua) — An inter-Korean joint Buddhist mass praying for national reunification was held at Singye Temple at Mount Kumgang resort in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday, the official KCNA news agency said.
The mass praying, which celebrates the second anniversary of the restoration of the temple, was attended by office-bearers of the DPRK’s Central Committee of the Buddhist Federation, and priests and believers both at the temple and from Jogye Order of South Korea, the representative order of traditional Korean Buddhism.
Representatives of both sides said it was a manifestation of the will that the Buddhists of the two sides would like to strengthen bilateral solidarity and cooperation in the efforts to achieve national reunification, the KCNA said.
They also vowed to pave the way for a tour of Mount Kumgang resort and a pilgrimage to Singye Temple, it added.
The Singye Temple was built in 519 and has been ruined several times in its history. The DPRK and South Korea rebuilt it two years ago.
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Travel to Kaesong resumes
Employees working at the Kaesong Industrial Complex pass the temperature sensor installed at the Dorasan C.I.Q. in Paju city, Gyeonggi Province, Sept 1. On the same day, North Korea removed their limitations on exit and entry to Kaesong that have been in place since last Dec.
Photo by Kim Myung-jin/The Hankyoreh
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Travel to North Korea border with Hyundai Asan
channelnewsasia.com (27 April 2009)
SEOUL: A South Korean tour operator said it would launch a programme of trips to the world’s last Cold War frontier after its tourism ventures inside communist North Korea were shut down. Hyundai Asan said the programme beginning May 2 would include visits to the southern edge of the four-kilometre-wide buffer zone dividing the two Koreas.
The programme comes amid high tensions which have stalled the company’s tourism programmes to the North’s border city of Kaesong and to the Mount Kumgang resort across the frontier on the east coast. The Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) has split the peninsula since the 1950-53 war. South Korean officials want to develop military-controlled areas abutting the zone as a tourist attraction.
Hyundai Asan said its new programme includes one-day tours costing 46,000 won (34 dollars) per person to border areas at Paju and Yeoncheon, north of Seoul. Two-day tours to the border area at Yanggu, 175 kilometres northeast of Seoul, and to Mount Sorak on the east coast, will cost 118,000 won.
“Along with trips to front-line fences, tourists will be allowed to see wildlife and other places which remained untouched for decades,” a Hyundai Asan official told AFP. Visitors will not be allowed inside the DMZ itself.
Hyundai Asan said the new programme would help ease its financial woes, which began when a South Korean woman tourist was shot dead when she strayed into a military zone at Kumgang last July. The Seoul government halted tours to Kumgang after the shooting, while Pyongyang barred the one-day tours to Kaesong city as relations worsened.
The company’s other major joint project, the joint industrial complex near Kaesong city, is also facing problems due to sour cross-border ties. The communist North has expelled hundreds of South Korean staff and restricted access to the Seoul-funded complex. On March 30 it detained a Hyundai Asan employee for allegedly criticising the North’s regime and trying to persuade a local woman worker to defect. The two Koreas held brief talks last week but the North rebuffed the South’s demands for access to the detainee. – AFP/de
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Travel to Khasan-Tumangang by Train…
In September 2008, two railway experts from Austria and Switzerland traveled by train from Vienna to Pyongyang. It was a 13.000 kilometer-long trip, which took 13 days 8 hours and 30 minutes and involved the crossing of four national borders and two gauge-changing. The highlight of the trip was the crossing of Russian-DPRK border at Khasan-Tumangang. They traveled further along the eastern coast of North Korea from Tumangan via Kimchaek – Hamhung to Pyongyang via Tanchon and Kuum-ni.
2008-09-19
“After the middle of the bridge we already had North Korean territory below the wheels. There were people under the bridge, they were working on some kind of field.They beckoned to us and we beckoned to them. We were surprised that they could be there just so close to the border. Finally we reached the end of the bridge, which was guarded by some soldiers. Now we had officially entered North Korea via Tumangan! “The Songun-era began”, we were joking…
…After some kilometers we passed the triangular junction at which the line to Onsong – Namyang – Hoeryong branches off. There were one or two stops untill we went to bed and it was always the same: Total darkness outside, people running around to find their wagon, other people loading stuff into the luggage-car, railway staff blowing their whistles and much “train-horning” before departure…
…Local people, who saw us at stations, were at the 1st moment quite surprised, but then usually didn’t care. When somewhere in the countryside people, who were walking or working on the fields next to the railway, saw us looking out of the passing train, unbelieving amazement was their reaction and often the told other people standing next to them, that there is something sensational to see and pointed to us…”
See the full story with pictures here:
http://vienna-pyongyang.blogspot.com
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DISCLAIMER by Helmut Uttenthaler
“Although we successfully entered North Korea via Tumangan, we were later told by our travel agency via e-mail that our trip caused serious troubles at KITC (the governmental “Korean International Tourist Company”) and that they have enforced new regulations to avoid any not agreed (with KITC) entry via Tumangan in future. I can therefore – until KITC officially accepts this border point for tourists – not recommend to repeat what we did, as trying to do so might end up with another result…”
“Russian travel agencies offer trips to Rajin-Seonbong where tourists travel by train via Khasan-Tumangang http://amurturist.info/severnaya-koreya.html and http://amurturist.info/yugo-vostochnaya-aziya/severnaya-koreya-g.-radzhin-s-otdyihom-v-otele-imperator.html
The group trips start at Khabarovsk and the tourists go by train to Tumangang, where they transfer to buses bringing them to a hotel near Rajin. Another company offering that trips here http://www.parallel-dv.ru/607823777/6157108086
Here is a travelogue by a Russian tourist who went to Rajin by this route
http://blogion.ru/fomenko/2008/07/17/o-tom-kak-my-pobyvali-v-severnojj-koree/
Another interesting source http://www.logistics.ru/9/7/i77_6557p0.htm which contains information about the history of the Khasan-Tumangang border crossing and traffic development. It shows that the traffic significantly dropped after the USSR collapsed.”
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to The 11th Pyongyang International Film Festival
Dates: 17-26 September 2008
Venue: Pyongyang, D.P.R. of Korea.
Organizers: DPRKorea International Film Corporation.
Special Cultural Delegations: Everyone interested, including US citizens and off-duty journalists, is welcome to join one of the Special Delegations organised by L&J Development & Consultancy. Book your trip…
Focus of the Film Festival:
- The 11th PIFF aims at encouraging the development of national film in all countries by promoting exchange and cooperation among the world film makers under the ideal of Independence, Peace and Friendship.
- The festival program consists of feature film competition, documentary and short film competition, special and informative screenings and consultation for film exchange
- Hundreds of professional and armature filmmakers from all around the world will bring their works and compete for the “Torch Prize”, International Jury Award, Management Award and Special Screening Prize.
The deadline for bookings is 25 August 2008.
Contact L&J DEVELOPMENT & CONSULTANCY for details LJinfo@narod.ru
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S.Korea Pulls More Workers From N.Korean Resort
SEOUL (Yonhap) — Upon the request of North Korea, additional South Korean and foreign workers have left a South Korean-run resort in North Korea this week amid lingering tension over the killing of a South Korean tourist there.
South Korea suspended tourism to the North’s Mt. Kumgang resort after Park Wang-ja, a 53-year-old housewife from Seoul, was shot dead by a North Korean soldier while vacationing at the resort on July 11. The resort on the North’s east coast has been open to South Korean tourists since 1998.
The North’s tourism authorities in control of the area asked Hyundai Asan, the tour operator, to further cut the number of residents at the resort to 200 by Aug. 20, Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the Unification Ministry, told reporters on Aug. 18. The request came after North Korea announced it will eject “unnecessary” South Korean personnel from the resort in steps beginning Aug. 18.
“I understand a senior-level official of the North’s Guidance Bureau for the Comprehensive Development of Scenic Spots visited Hyundai Asan’s office at Mt. Kumgang last week to deliver the verbal message,” Kim said.
As of Aug. 18, 536 workers, including 114 South Koreans, were staying at the resort, with 337 of them scheduled to return to the South by Aug. 20. Following the pullout, only 199 people — 74 South Koreans and 125 other nationals deemed “necessary” to manage the resort — will remain, according to the ministry.
North Korea has rejected Seoul’s demand for a joint probe into the killing, defending the shooting as a “self-defense measure.” Park had entered a fenced-off North Korean military zone while strolling along the beach within the Mt. Kumgang resort.
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The shooting of South Korean tourist Park Wang-Ja at Mt. Geumgang in North Korea has created worldwide shockwaves and damaged relations between North and South Korea, threatening to set back recent developments in the Six Party dialogue process. This footage of Mt. Geumgang, taken by a recent visitor, highlights the paradoxes of the tourism project.
http://www.youtube.com/v/76whxzwY_hI&hl=en&fs=1
Mt. Geumgang is both a place of great natural beauty where North and South have come together, and place where the contrasts between the two Korea’s are starkly revealed. The shooting has shocked and angered South Koreans, but, as this video suggests, it also a disaster for the many North Koreans who have worked to make Mt. Geumgang a place of friendship. If the shooting causes permanent damage to reconciliation between North and South, that will be an even greater disaster.
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MT. KUMGANG INCIDENT
Yonhap (Shim Sun-ah, “SEOUL SAYS TOURIST MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FLEEING WHEN SHOT”, Seoul, 2008/08/01) reported that ROK investigators looking into the shooting death of an ROK tourist by a DPRK soldier suggested Friday the victim was shot when she was either strolling or standing still after the first shot missed her. Kim Dong-hwan, a firearms expert at the National Institute of Scientific Investigation, based his assumptions on the locations of bullet holes in Park’s clothes. The announcement came after a two-day simulation test by the eight-member team, including forensic experts and police officers, earlier this week
Korea Herald (Kim So-hyun , “SEOUL HAS N.K. PLANS, BUT STAYS MUM”, 2008/07/25) reported that a senior government official said that Seoul has a plan of action should Pyongyang continue to refuse to cooperate on investigating the death of ROK tourist Park Wang-ja. “We have our own plans but it is not time yet to specify what the plans are,” said the government official who requested not to be named. The senior government official mentioned that many ROK visitors to the DPRK said they were requested by the DPRK’s authorities not to mention the shooting death to DPRK civilians because they are currently unaware of the shooting death.
Donga Ilbo (“SHOOTING PROMPTS BAN ON CIVILIAN VISITS TO N. KOREA “, 2008/07/25) reported that the government will not allow a large group from the Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification to visit the DPRK next month, a government source said. Also canceled was a scheduled visit to the DPRK next month by South Gyeongsang Province Governor Kim Tae-ho and a delegation. An official of the unification council said, “The council initially agreed with the North to allow 128 South Korean officials to visit for four days from July 11. Due to the shooting at Mount Geumgang, we had to postpone the trip to August 6-9. The (South Korean) Unification Ministry then told us we couldn’t go so we canceled the trip.”
Agence France-Presse (“RICE URGES NKOREA TO TALK TO SKOREA ON TOURIST DEATH”, Perth, 2008/07/25) reported that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged the DPRK to take up Seoul ’s offer to engage in direct talks over the shooting death of a ROK tourist in the DPRK. “I hope the DPRK will take up the invitation of South Korea to have direct talks concerning the tragic death of the South Korean tourist,” Rice told reporters on the plane from Singapore to Perth , Australia . “There needs to be an investigation of what happened but principally so that there can be steps taken so that tragedies like this don’t happen again,” Rice said.
Associated Press (Hyung-jin Kim, “SOUTH KOREA STRUGGLES TO PROBE TOURIST DEATH”, Seoul, 2008/07/25) reported that ROK fact-finding commission chief Hwang Boo-gi said Friday his team cannot resolve numerous questions about the July 11 shooting because the DPRK refuses to allow investigators into Mt. Kumgang. To find out whether the shooting was accidental, Hwang told reporters, his team needs to know from what location the DPRK soldier fired shots and other details.
Korea Times (Jung Sung-ki, “SEOUL TO RAISE TOURIST SHOOTING AT ASIAN FORUM”, Seoul, 2008/07/21) reported that the ROK will deliver a message of protest during an Asian security forum that opened Monday in Singapore against the DPRK’s recent killing of an ROK tourist at the Mount Kumgang resort, an official said. “We will raise the issue of the tourist killing as an official discussion topic at the forum,” the official said. “It’s natural to raise the issue given the forum is the venue for talks over regional security affairs.” The United States, Australia, Singapore and some other nations are in support of addressing the incident during the talks, so there is a possibility that the issue could be included in the chairman’s declaration at the end of the meeting, he said.
Asiaeconomy (“SILENCE FOR JAPAN, CONVERSATION FOR THE DPRK”, 2008/07/18) wrote that the ROK government decided to officially propose the Mt. Kumgang incident be discussed at the ARF. The ROK government seems to request a approval of a joint investigation committe for on the spot inspection. However, the ROK government is also considering decisive measures if necessary. Kim Ho Nyun, the spokesman of the Ministry of National Unification, mentioned that safety and security matters should be considered for Kaesong tourism, implying that suspension of Kaesong tourism can be done to pressure the DPRK.
Yonhap (“N.K. SAYS SHOOTING WAS ACCIDENTAL: CIVIC ACTIVISTS”, Seoul, 2008/07/21) reported that DPRK officials say the killing of an ROK tourist by their soldier was unintentional and are worried about possible far-reaching repercussions on inter-Korean ties, ROK civic group activists said Monday. “Many North Korean officials with the North’s Council for National Reconciliation asked about the atmosphere in the South (following the incident). Some said the shooting was not premeditated,” a civilian group official who recently returned from a trip to Pyongyang said.
Associated Press (Hyung-jin Kim, “OFFICIAL: SKOREA MULLS HALTING OTHER NKOREA TOURS”, Seoul, 2008/07/18) reported that ROK President Lee Myung-bak convened a National Security Council on Friday to discuss last week’s killing of an ROK tourist at Mt. Kumgang. It was the first time Lee has convened the council since taking office in February. Officials at Friday’s meeting agreed that the Kaesong tours would also be put on hold if strict safety measures for visitors were not assured, presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan told reporters.
Herald Media (“A WEEK AFTER THE MT. KUMGANG INCIDENT, THREE THINGS THE DPRK WILL LOSE”, 2008/07/18) wrote that a week after the Mt.Kumgang shooting incident, the DPRK is still refusing the on the spot investigation and there are voices insisting on a more harsh reaction, including sanctions, communications severance and international level pressure. The DPRK is expected to suffer a considerable loss if the deadlock with the ROK is more drawn out. The DPRK will get serious damage economically, including on long-term development programs and economic cooperation projects. The most serious damage will be loss of international confidence. The open-door policy, which the DPRK pursued in spite of the nuclear abandonment, will face great trouble when the it loses the trust of international society. Yoo Ho-yul, a professor of the DPRK studies at Korea University, expected that the DPRK would get serious damage by decrease of international trust in the long-term along with the short-term economic loss.
Yonhap News (“S. KOREA TO DISCUSS TOURIST’S DEATH IN N. KOREA AT ARF “, Seoul, 2008/07/17) reported that Seoul plans to discuss the recent shooting death of a South Korean at a DPRK mountain resort during a meeting of senior officials of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), a government source said. The shooting death of the ROK tourist at the Mount Geumgang resort can be addressed in the plenary meeting of the regional forum, scheduled to take place in Singapore next week, as an official agenda item because it can influence the regional security environment, said the source. The government also plans to make an effort to have the ARF chairman include the issue in his statement.
Agence France-Presse (“KILLING MUST NOT DISRUPT NKOREA NUCLEAR TALKS: SEOUL ENVOY “, Seoul, 2008/07/17) reported that the DPRK ’s killing of a ROK tourist should not be allowed to disrupt international nuclear disarmament talks which include the two nations, Seoul ’s envoy to the forum said. Kim Sook said in an interview with Seoul-based PBC radio the two issues must be handled separately.
Chosun Ilbo (“LEE THREATENS TO END MT. KUMGANG TOURS “, 2008/07/17) reported that Seoul cannot resume tours to the Mt. Kumgang resort in the DPRK unless the DPRK agrees on a joint probe into the fatal shooting of a ROK tourist there, promises to take measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents, and guarantees safe passage of tourists, President Lee Myung-bak said. Presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan quoted the president as making the remarks after the DPRK rebuffed all ROK attempts to investigate Friday’s fatal shooting of Park Wang-ja (53) at the mountain resort.
The Associated Press (Hyung-Jin Kim, “SKOREA PRESIDENT: KEEP NKOREA TOURS ON HOLD”, Seoul, 2008/07/16) reported that the ROK’s president said that tours to a DPRK mountain resort would not resume unless the DPRK cooperates in an investigation into the shooting death of a ROK tourist. President Lee Myung-bak told a Cabinet meeting that tours should be halted unless the DPRK allows in ROK investigators and strict safety measures for tourists are in place. The DPRK expressed regret over the shooting, but has claimed the woman entered a military restricted area and fled after a soldier told her to halt. The country also demanded the ROK apologize for suspending the tour after the shooting.
JoongAng Ilbo (Ahn Hye-ri and Jung Ha-won, “SECRET NORTH CONNECTIONS CRUMBLE”, 2008/07/16) reported that H yundai Group has been a pioneer in inter-Korean dialogue since its founder, Chung Ju-young, visited the DPRK in 1989. Its under-the-radar communication channels with Pyongyang have often turned out to be more effective than those of the ROK government. But developments after the death of a ROK tourist in the DPRK show that even Hyundai is rapidly losing its connection with the DPRK, a development that could deal a blow to Seoul’s struggles to find ways to talk to Pyongyang.
Donga Ilbo (“‘N. KOREA’S INITIAL REPORT ON TOURIST SHOOTING WAS NOT TRUE’”, 2008/07/16) reported that Hyundai Asan, the ROK operator of tours to Mount Geumgang, said that the DPRK’s initial report on Friday’s tourist shooting sent to the ROK was not true. Hyundai Asan CEO Yoon Man-joon said, “Though not sufficiently, I heard a little bit about the incident (from the North). It appears certain differences were in the initial report that was submitted shortly after the incident.” A Hyundai Asan source said Yoon and his team checked the distance covered by Park Wang-ja Friday morning, when the shooting occurred, and concluded that her move in time quoted by the DPRK was impossible.
Joongang Ilbo (Jung Ha-won, “NORTH NO HELP IN PROBE OF WOMAN SHOT BY A SOLDIER”, 2008/07/15) reported that Hyundai Asan President Yoon Man-joon returned from his two-day visit to the DPRK with little progress in the investigation into why a ROK housewife was shot dead by a DPRK soldier. Pyongyang refused to allow any investigators from the ROK into the country and said a CCTV camera that may have recorded the incident was not working. “The North remains unchanged on its stance that there is no need for a joint investigation … We had hoped there would be some visible progress, but we ended up with little,” Yoon said.
Yonhap (Shim Sun-ah, “CIVIC GROUPS DENOUNCE N.K.’S UNCOOPERATIVE ATTITUDE ON TOURIST’S DEATH”, 2008/07/15) reported that a network of civic groups criticized the DPRK’s “arrogant” response to the shooting death of a ROK tourist near a DPRK mountain resort last week and called on Pyongyang to cooperate with Seoul’s probe of the incident. “North Korea has consistently maintained an ‘arrogant’ attitude, refusing to accept South Korea’s demand for an on-site investigation,” the group said in a statement. Activists from the 34 groups, including ones representing DPRK defectors who settled in the ROK, read the statement to reporters in front of the Central Government Complex in Seoul.
Xinhua (“S KOREAN PRESIDENT URGED TO REVISE DIPLOMATIC POLICY”, Seoul, 2008/07/15) reported that ROK’s main opposition party asked President Lee Myung-bak to revise his diplomatic policy. “Pragmatism is becoming another word for opportunism for the Lee Myung-bak government. Recent incidents show that it is time for the president to revise his pragmatism and pragmatic diplomacy which have been threatening the country’s principles as well as its international status,” said Won Hye-young, floor leader of themain opposition Democratic Party. “The issue of the North (DPRK)’s killing of the tourist must also be dealt with sternly, but the government must remember that restoring the inter-Korean dialogue channel is critical for proper investigation as well as peace on the Korean Peninsula,” Won said.
Associated Press (Hyung-jin Kim, “NORTH KOREA REJECTS PROBE INTO SHOOTING DEATH”, Seoul, 2008/07/15) reported that the Hyundai Asan failed to persuade the DPRK to cooperate in an investigation into the killing of an ROK tourist at Mt. Kumgang, Yoon Man-jun, head of the firm, said after a four-day trip on Tuesday. “The North also feels sorry for this incident and is seriously pondering how to cope with it,” Yoon said in a statement after returning to the ROK. Also Tuesday, the ROK attempted again to send an official message calling for the DPRK’s cooperation, but Pyongyang refused to receive the message, Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon said. Kim said the government has an “idea in mind” on how to resolve the issue in case Pyongyang keeps refusing to cooperate, but he declined to elaborate.
Yonhap News (“GOV’T TEAM FORMED TO PROBE KILLING OF S. KOREAN TOURIST IN N. KOREA “, Seoul, 2008/07/14) reported that t he government organized a team of senior officials and experts on Monday to investigate last week’s killing of a ROK citizen by a DPRK soldier at the DPRK’s resort mountain, the Unification Ministry said. The team is composed of officials from eight government offices related experts, including forensics doctors, and held its first meeting in the afternoon, the ministry said. Led by Hwang Bu-gi, a senior official of the Unification Ministry, the team will focus on questioning ROK witnesses and preparing for potential on-site inspection of the scene in the DPRK, Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the ministry, told reporters.
Chosun Ilbo (“N.KOREA TOURS FACE COMPLETE SUSPENSION”, 2008/07/14) reported that with the killing of a ROK tourist by DPRK soldiers, tour programs to Mt. Kumgang and Kaesong operated by Hyundai Asan are in danger of complete suspension. It seems likely that the stalemate will be protracted, considering that the two Koreas are in a standoff over how to respond to the incident and that unlike the previous two ROK administrations, the Lee Myung-bak government has no proper dialogue channel with the DPRK.
Joongang Ilbo (Moon Gwang-lip, “INTER-KOREA TRADE COMPANIES FALL “, 2008/07/14) reported that s hares in companies known to be related to inter-Korean economic exchange fell sharply after the death of a ROK tourist during a trip to Mount Kumgang in the DPRK. Affiliates in the Hyundai Group sank, with Hyundai Merchant Marine falling 3.3 percent to 37,700 won ($37.5). Hyundai Group owns Hyundai Asan, the exclusive operator of tours from to the DPRK. Some stocks, which are also classified by several local analysts as Inter-Korean business-related shares mainly because they are headquartered in the DPRK’s Kaesong Industrial Complex or they have high chances of selling their products to the DPRK, closed considerably lower in the day.
Korea Times (Kim Sue-young, “SOUTH TO CLARIFY STANCE AFTER PROBE INTO TOURIST KILLING”, Seoul, 2008/07/14) reported that the government will determine whether the shooting death of an ROK tourist at Mount Kumgang Friday was intentional or not after investigations are completed, the Unification Ministry said Monday. Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said it was too early to draw any conclusions about the incident since nothing has been clarified.
Korea Times (Michael Ha, “‘VISITORS OFTEN ENCOUNTERED N. KOREAN SOLDIERS’”, Seoul, 2008/07/14) reported that some tourists who have visited Mt. Kumgang in the past are now recounting how they had wandered into restricted military areas outside the government-sanctioned resort and were detained by DPRK soldiers. Some reports suggested that Hyundai Asan, a subsidiary of the Hyundai conglomerate which operates tourism there, did not take sufficient precautionary measures and that the company deserved at least some blame for the shooting death of Park Wang-ja last Friday.
Korea Times (Na Jeong-ju, “NORTH BLAMES SOUTH OVER TOURIST KILLING”, Seoul, 2008/07/13) reported that ROK President Lee Myung-bak said Saturday that the death of the tourist at Mt. Kumgang “cannot be justified under any circumstances. It is not understandable how an unarmed female tourist was shot dead by the North Korean military. We need a thorough investigation.” The DPRK expressed regret over the death, but added, “The responsibility for the incident rests entirely with the South side. The South should make a clear apology and take measures to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident.”
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S. Korean Tourist killed by N. Korean Soldier
NORTH KOREA NEWSLETTER NO. 12 (July 17, 2008)
SEOUL (Yonhap) — Political confrontation deepened between the two Koreas when a South Korean tourist was shot dead on July 11 by a North Korean soldier while she was taking a pre-dawn stroll on a beach near North’s Mt. Kumgang tourist resort.
North Korea claimed that Park Wang-ja, 53, crossed deep into a fenced-off military area, but fled toward her hotel when the soldier ordered her to halt. She died 200 meters from the fence at 4:50 a.m., according to statements from the North. The incident prompted Seoul to suspend the inter-Korean tour program since July 12. The program was launched by Hyundai Asan Co., an affiliate of the South Korean conglomerate Hyundai Group, in November 1998.
The South Korean government has repeatedly asked for North Korea’s full cooperation in investigating the death of the Seoul housewife, but the communist North has refused to allow South Korean investigators to enter, instead demanding an apology from South Korean authorities. The North’s authorities in charge of the joint tourism program accused the victim of trespassing in a restricted military area, and insisted that the responsibility for the incident rests entirely with South Korea.
On July 12, North Korea said that it regrets the death, but rejected Seoul’s proposals to send a fact-finding team to the site. “A South Korean who came to tour Mt. Kumgang was shot to death by a serviceman of the (North) Korean People’s Army at around 4:50 a.m. on July 11. The DPRK (North Korea) feels regretful at this,” the spokesman for the Guidance Bureau for the Comprehensive Development of Scenic Spots said in a statement carried by the (North) Korean Central News Agency.
In response to the South’s measures, the North called Seoul’s decision to suspend the program a “challenge” to the North. “The south side authorities unilaterally announced that they would suspend the tour of Mt. Kumgang for the time being, a challenge to the North side,” the spokesman added. The North also urged the South to apologize for the incident. “The south side should be held responsible for the incident, make clear apology to the North side and take measures against the recurrence of a similar incident,” the spokesman said.
South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on July 12 that the killing cannot be justified under any circumstances since a proper investigative procedure should have come first, even if there was any problem caused by the tourist. “The North Korean military shot dead an unarmed (South Korean) female tourist. The act was wrong by any measure, unimaginable and should not have occurred at all,” Kim Ho-nyoun, spokesman for the ministry, said in a statement. He also said the North’s account left some questions, such as how the middle-aged housewife was able to cover a distance of about 3 kilometers in just 20 minutes.
The tragic incident came hours before South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made a proposal to North Korea to resume stalled dialogue. In his parliamentary speech on July 11, the president said his government is “willing to engage in serious consultations on how to implement the inter-Korean agreements made so far,” including the two summit accords signed by his liberal predecessors. Pyongyang has stepped up harsh criticism of Lee, demanding he respect and inherit the accords.
South Korea’s presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, said on July 14 that the tour program will remain suspended until the shooting is “satisfactorily” explained and resolved. Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said in a media briefing that despite the halt of the tour program, the South Korean government is still determined to resume dialogue with North Korea on broad inter-Korean issues.
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Travel to North Korea to see the ARIRANG gymnastics show (30 Aug.-4 Sep.)
This year the Grand Mass Game and Artistic Performance “Arirang” will be staged from 1 Aug. until 30 Sep. every evening. In addition to “Arirang”, a new project – “Prosper the Motherland!” dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the founding of the DPRK – will be run every afternoon. Guests and visitors to the Beijing Olympics (8-24 Aug.) can extend their China tour by spending six days in North Korea.
Itinerary
30 August (Sat) – Flight Beijing-Pyongyang, 11:55 departure / 15:00 arrival.
Customs at Pyongyang airport, meeting with guides, Mansudae Grand Monument, Arch of Triumph, Fountain Park, transfer to Sosan Hotel. Check in hotel. After dinner – “Arirang” performance.
31 August (Sun) – Kumsusan Memorial Palace (Mausoleum of Kim Il Sung), Revolutionary Martyrs’ Cemetry, Buddhist Temple. After lunch – City tour of Pyongyang, including birthplace of President Kim Il Sung, Juche Tower, Monument to Party Foundation, Kim Il Sung Stadium, War Victory Monuments, Pyongyang Metro.
1 September (Mon) – Day tour by coach to Kaesong, Panmunjom/DMZ. After lunch – Kaesong Koryo Museum, return to Pyongyang. Mangyongdae Schoolchildren’s Palace (performance). Dinner.
2 September (Tue) – Coach drive to Mt. Myohyang. International Friendship Exhibition (Hall of gifts to DPRK leaders), Bohyon Buddhist Temple, Mountaineering in attractive Mt. Myohyang (one of top scenic spots), check in Hyangsan Hotel.
3 September (Wed) – Excursion to Ryongmun Cavern. Return to Pyongyang. After lunch – Commemorative Mass Game “Prosper the Motherland!’. Shopping. Check-in Sosan Hotel. Dinner in a local restaurant.
4 September (Thu) - Flight Pyongyang-Beijing, 10:30 departure / 11:30 arrival.
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Tour price: 5 nights / 6 days = 1,290 EUR per person.
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These prices include: Travel between Beijing and Pyongyang by airplane, shared twin room accommodation, three meals per day, all domestic transportation, interpretation, sightseeing, and entrance fees while in North Korea.
Single room supplement: 30 EUR per person per night.
The tour prices do NOT include: visa fee, other international flights, airport tax, and tickets for Mass Gymnastics Shows in Pyongyang.
Arirang Mass Gymnastics Show ticket prices: Special class seat – 300 USD; 1st class seat -150 USD; 2nd class seat – 100 USD; 3rd class seat – 50 USD.
Deadline for applications by e-mail: 30 July 2008.
Visas can be issued in Beijing or other cities where DPRK embassies are located.
Contacts for booking: L&J Development and Consultancy e-mail: LJinfo@narod.ru or phone in Australia +61-403076604.
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Travel to North Korea for Business and Pleasure
(6 Sep.-10/13 Sep.)
Leaders in tourism and hospitality are invited to visit North Korea to meet with colleagues, to discuss business, and to enjoy the Arirang Mass Gymnastics show. If you have time, explore the remote North Hamgyong and Ryanggang provinces of the DPRK.
The 60th anniversary of DPRK foundation will be celebrated by a brand-new 100,000-men special Gymnastics Art Show “Prosper the Motherland!”.
Itinerary and Program of Events:
6 Sep. (Sat) – Departure from Beijing at 11:55am by Air Koryo JS 152. Arrival in Pyongyang at 14:55. Introductory city tour, check-in at the Yanggakdo International Hotel. Meeting with hotel management team.
7 Sep. (Sun) – Kumsusang Memorail Palace, Pyongyang Film Studios. National Tourism Administration’s seminar on tourism to the DPRK , Q & A. Evening circus show (optional).
8 Sep. (Mon) – Day trip to Kaesong, P’anmunjeom, DMZ. Return to Pyongyang. After dinner “Arirang” Mass Gymnastics Show.
9 Sep. (Tue) – Pyongyang city tour, celebration and events dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the DPRK
10 Sep (Wen) - Morning departure by train to China via Sinuiju-Dandong (arrival in Beijing 8:33 on 11 September, Thursday)
Optional part:
10 Sep (Wen) – Morning departure by charter flight to Mt. Chilbo’s Orang airport. Excursion to Kaesim Buddhist Temple. Homestay in Korean families.
11 Sep. (Thu) - Excursion to the Eastern Sea. Departure by charter flight to Samjiyon in Mt. Paekdu, Excursion to Samjiyon Grand Monument
12 Sep. (Fri) – Excursion to Mt. Paekdu and Lake Cheon crater. Visit to the Korean guerilla secret camp and schoolchildren palace. Return to Pyongyang by charter flight. Check-in at the Yanggakdo International Hotel
13 Sep. (Sat) - Morning departure (8:55am) by Air Koryo flight JS 151 to China. Arrival in Beijing International Airport at 9:55am.
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Tour price: 4 nights / 5 days = 1,190 EUR per person (business trip only).
Tour price: 7 nights / 8 days = 1,890 EUR per person (business trip + northern provinces).
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These prices include: Travel between Beijing and Pyongyang by airplane and/or train, shared twin room accommodation, three meals per day, all domestic transportation, interpretation, sightseeing, and entrance fees while in North Korea.
Single room supplement: 20 EUR per person per night.
The tour prices do NOT include: visa fee, other international flights, airport tax, and tickets for Arirang Mass Gymnastics Show ticket in Pyongyang.
Arirang Mass Gymnastics Show ticket prices: Special class seat – 300 USD; 1st class seat -150 USD; 2nd class seat – 100 USD; 3rd class seat – 50 USD.
Deadline for applications by e-mail: 15 August 2008.
Visas can be issued in Beijing or other cities where DPRK embassies are located.
Contacts for booking: L&J Development and Consultancy e-mail: LJinfo@narod.ru or phone in Australia +61-403076604.
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North Korea: The Columbus complex
By Aidan Foster-Carter, Asia Times Online (2 Feb. 2008)
“To explore strange new worlds … To boldly go where no man has gone before.”
Stumbling on North Korea for the first time, not a few people – awestruck, disgusted, or just plain open-mouthed – seem fondly to imagine themselves as Star Trek’s Captain Kirk: piloting the Starship Enterprise to land in Pyongyang, surely this planet’s final frontier.
Or maybe Christopher Columbus is a better parallel. As we all learned in school, Columbus discovered America. That claim now comes heavily qualified: America already existed and was inhabited. Vikings got there before Columbus, who didn’t even know where he was; he thought he’d hit India. For all concerned, it was a fateful – for some, a fatal – encounter.
My own Columbus moment on North Korea was 40 years ago. A typical revolting student of 1968, head full of Marx and heart afire with anti-imperialism, I found my Nirvana. Here was a small ex-colony which defied the worst the West could throw at it (napalm included), to industrialize and lead its people out of poverty – as capitalism, I was cocksure, could not?
