North to open borders for tourism

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North to open borders for tourism

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Hyundai Group chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun smiles upon her arrival at the CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) office, just south of the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, in Paju after she crossed the border. [YONHAP]

North Korea yesterday agreed to resume suspended tourism programs with Hyundai Asan, lift travel restrictions to a vital industrial park, and provide for the reunion of separated Korean families.

The North Korean statement came hours after a Sunday luncheon meeting between Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang.

Though the news stirred interest worldwide, the South Korean government remained wary yesterday, saying the agreement was reached on a civilian level and more government-level talks between the two Koreas would be necessary.

But Seoul said helping separated families reunite was a priority and that it would work to bring them together in the fall. The reunion, organized by the Korea National Red Cross in Seoul, has not taken place since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February last year.

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Upon returning from her trip to Pyongyang, Hyun said that the Hyundai Group had no prior consultations with the South Korean government on the issues but said it would try to do so in the future.

A statement jointly released by the North’s Asia-Pacific Peace Committee and the Hyundai Group was delivered through Pyongyang’s state-run Korean Central News Agency around 4 a.m. yesterday. It said Hyun and Kim had “a cordial talk” and Kim “complied with all [Hyun’s] requests.”

“Both sides expressed a will to improve the North-South relations and further develop the cooperation for the common prosperity of the nation under the historic June 15 joint declaration and the Oct. 4 declaration,” the statement read.

The first of the declarations was reached during the first inter-Korean summit in 2000 between then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il. The latter agreement was signed in 2007 during the second summit between former South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and Kim.

Yesterday’s statement said suspended tourism programs to Mount Kumgang and Kaesong would resume. “It was decided to resume the suspended tourism of Mount Kumgang as soon as possible and launch the tour of Piro-bong, the highest peak in the mountain,” the statement read. “All necessary facilities and security for tourism will be reliably provided according to the special measure taken by Kim Jong-il.”

The statement added that Hyundai Group would pursue a new tourism program to Mount Paektu, which sits along the China-North Korean border. Hyundai Asan, an affiliate of the Hyundai Group, operated tours to the scenic Kumgang resort until it was suspended last July after a South Korean woman was fatally shot there by a North Korean soldier.

Further, the release said restrictions on land travel for South Koreans through the Military Demarcation Line and their stays north of the border would be lifted “according to the spirit of the historic Oct. 4 declaration.”

Last Dec. 1, North Korea lowered the maximum number of South Koreans and their vehicles permitted to travel each day in protest of South Korea’s tough stance on Pyongyang. The cutback dealt a blow to inter-Korean business programs.

Along with easing of restrictions, the statement said the two Koreas agreed to “energize the operation” at the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The Koreas have been at odds for most of the year as North Korea pressed for land use fees and an increase in wages for North Korean workers. The two sides have held four rounds of government-level discussions on these issues but have failed to reach a compromise.

Finally, the statement noted that separated families from the two Koreas will be reunited on Chuseok, the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving that falls on Aug. 15 on lunar calendar. Separated families last met on Feb. 5, 2008 and this year’s Chuseok is Oct. 3.

The South Korean government offered only a tepid response to the North’s announcement. The Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs in Seoul, said while the joint announcement was a “positive” development, government-level discussions would be necessary. “This agreement was reached on a civilian basis,” said the ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung. “For these measures to be implemented, we need concrete coordination between the two governments. And we will try to achieve that as soon as possible.”

Chun stressed that Seoul’s pursuit of peace on the Korean Peninsula and of normalized inter-Korean relations has not changed and will not be affected by yesterday’s agreement.

South Korean businesses hailed the agreement as a victory. An official with Hyundai Asan said inter-Korean programs “are the face of our group” and added that the agreement would revive the depressed mood at Hyundai Asan, which reported heavy financial losses and slashed its employees by more than half due to the suspended tour programs.

South Korean companies in Kaesong have fought sluggish business conditions as the two Koreas wrangled over wages and the land lease. They welcomed easing of border travel restrictions as “something that would alleviate pains suffered by our businesses and revitalize the industrial zone.”


By Yoo Jee-ho [jeeho@joongang.co.kr]
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