Pyongyang responds positively to Seoul's offer of talks on seized assets

SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- North Korea appears to have positively responded to South Korea's proposal of talks this week to try to settle a dispute over Seoul-owned assets that have been seized at a scenic mountain resort in the North, a government source said Sunday.
South Korea proposed holding talks with North Korea this week or on any future date to discuss the issue, and the North Korean side expressed its stance that it will agree to the consultations if the South's officials come to the North, the source said on the condition of anonymity.
The South's Friday proposal was delivered to the North via a key South Korean tour operator at Mount Kumgang and the North's verbal response was also conveyed by Hyundai Asan later in the day.
"In response to the proposal by the South to hold consultations over property rights at Mount Kumgang, the North's side expressed its position that it 'will hold consultations if the South's delegation comes,'" the source said.
A delegation of South Korean government officials and businessmen failed to hold any substantial meetings with North Korea at the resort in late June due to procedural differences.
The North has since issued an ultimatum that it will take unspecified legal steps to dispose of the assets unless South Korean company officials visit the resort by Wednesday with plans on how to handle their assets, which are estimated to be worth about 300 billion won (US$278 million).
The two Koreas launched the tour program at the scenic Mount Kumgang on the North's east coast in 1998 as part of moves to boost reconciliation, but Seoul halted its participation 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.
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