ID :
192109
Thu, 06/30/2011 - 17:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/192109
The shortlink copeid
N. Korea requests S. Korea's proposal on mountain resort assets
(ATTN: UPDATES with last four paras)
SEOUL (Yonhap) - North Korea said Thursday that it requested South Korean firms that have assets at a scenic mountain resort in the North to submit a proposal on property readjustment amid lingering tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The North asked South Korean companies that have properties at Mount Kumgang "to come there by July 13 after studying the proposal, and in case of those who fail to appear there by that time, the DPRK side will consider they quit their properties and take relevant legal steps," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The remarks came on the heels of botched attempts on talks over the asset seizure. South Korea sent a government-led delegation on Wednesday to Mount Kumgang as part of efforts to resolve the issue, but returned without success as the North called for talks with individual South Korean firms.
"The South Korean authorities should stop at once the base moves to scuttle the international tours of Mount Kumgang and allow enterprises of the South side to take active part in readjusting their properties in a reasonable way," the KCNA said.
North Korea has increased pressure on the South in recent years to try to resume the stalled joint tour program to the resort in an apparent move to earn hard currency.
The two Koreas launched the program in 1998 as part of moves to boost reconciliation, but Seoul halted it in 2008 after a female South Korean tourist was shot dead after straying into an off-limits military zone near the resort.
Pyongyang claims it has done everything it can to shed light on the shooting and guarantee the safety of future tourists, but Seoul says it has yet to receive a formal apology for the incident or guarantees to enhance safety.
In anger, North Korea last year seized or froze several South Korean assets at the resort, including two hotels, a duty free shop and a golf range as well as a reunion center for families separated since the 1950-53 Korean War.
Pyongyang has since taken steps to try to revitalize the zone that once served as a key cash cow for the North.
Earlier this month, the North announced a law designed to develop the resort as a special zone for international tours.
The North has unilaterally terminated exclusive tourism rights for Hyundai Asan, a key South Korean tour operator for the mountain resort.
Meanwhile, the North also criticized South Korea's plan to develop five islands in the Yellow Sea -- including Baengnyeong Island and Yeonpyeong Island -- in a separate KCNA report.
Earlier this month, the South Korean government announced plans to inject 910.9 billion won (US$853.3 million) over the next decade as part of comprehensive measures to develop its western border islands.
"The group is talking about 'international tourist resorts' while massively reinforcing armed forces on the five islands in the west sea and waters around them and setting up even the command for the defense of its northwest islands. This is a mockery of the public opinion and another provocation to the DPRK," said the KCNA.
The western sea border has been a constant source of military tension between the two Koreas. Tension in that area has risen further after the North sank a South Korean warship near Baengnyeong Island in March last year and bombarded Yeonpyeong Island in November.
SEOUL (Yonhap) - North Korea said Thursday that it requested South Korean firms that have assets at a scenic mountain resort in the North to submit a proposal on property readjustment amid lingering tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
The North asked South Korean companies that have properties at Mount Kumgang "to come there by July 13 after studying the proposal, and in case of those who fail to appear there by that time, the DPRK side will consider they quit their properties and take relevant legal steps," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, referring to North Korea by the acronym of its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The remarks came on the heels of botched attempts on talks over the asset seizure. South Korea sent a government-led delegation on Wednesday to Mount Kumgang as part of efforts to resolve the issue, but returned without success as the North called for talks with individual South Korean firms.
"The South Korean authorities should stop at once the base moves to scuttle the international tours of Mount Kumgang and allow enterprises of the South side to take active part in readjusting their properties in a reasonable way," the KCNA said.
North Korea has increased pressure on the South in recent years to try to resume the stalled joint tour program to the resort in an apparent move to earn hard currency.
The two Koreas launched the program in 1998 as part of moves to boost reconciliation, but Seoul halted it in 2008 after a female South Korean tourist was shot dead after straying into an off-limits military zone near the resort.
Pyongyang claims it has done everything it can to shed light on the shooting and guarantee the safety of future tourists, but Seoul says it has yet to receive a formal apology for the incident or guarantees to enhance safety.
In anger, North Korea last year seized or froze several South Korean assets at the resort, including two hotels, a duty free shop and a golf range as well as a reunion center for families separated since the 1950-53 Korean War.
Pyongyang has since taken steps to try to revitalize the zone that once served as a key cash cow for the North.
Earlier this month, the North announced a law designed to develop the resort as a special zone for international tours.
The North has unilaterally terminated exclusive tourism rights for Hyundai Asan, a key South Korean tour operator for the mountain resort.
Meanwhile, the North also criticized South Korea's plan to develop five islands in the Yellow Sea -- including Baengnyeong Island and Yeonpyeong Island -- in a separate KCNA report.
Earlier this month, the South Korean government announced plans to inject 910.9 billion won (US$853.3 million) over the next decade as part of comprehensive measures to develop its western border islands.
"The group is talking about 'international tourist resorts' while massively reinforcing armed forces on the five islands in the west sea and waters around them and setting up even the command for the defense of its northwest islands. This is a mockery of the public opinion and another provocation to the DPRK," said the KCNA.
The western sea border has been a constant source of military tension between the two Koreas. Tension in that area has risen further after the North sank a South Korean warship near Baengnyeong Island in March last year and bombarded Yeonpyeong Island in November.
