ID :
199191
Thu, 08/04/2011 - 16:13
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/199191
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Hyundai officials return home from N. Korea after discussing halted cross-border tour
SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean businessman said after a visit to North Korea Thursday that he discussed the fate of a suspended cross-border tour to a mountain resort in the communist country but did not say whether any progress was made on the issue.
Hyundai Asan Corp., an affiliate of the giant Hyundai Group, launched a sightseeing tour to Mount Kumgang on the North's east coast in 1998. The tour remains suspended since a South Korean woman was shot dead by a North Korean soldier there in mid-2008.
"We had comprehensive discussions," Hyundai Asan CEO Chang Kyung-chak said after returning home from the one-day overland trip to the resort. He said his dialogue partner in the North was Ri Chung-bok, deputy manager of the Kumgang special tour zone.
Chang said he told North Koreans that "some pending issues" should be resolved before the tour can be resumed. He did not elaborate but his comments apparently referred to the Seoul government demand that the North apologize for the woman's death and take action to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident.
North Korea has rejected the South's demand, insisting that it has taken enough action to address the South Korean demand.
Chang led a six-member company delegation sent to the resort to pay tribute to the late Hyundai Group chief, Chung Mong-hun, who died in 2003 after working hard on inter-Korean business. After his death, a monument was set up at the resort in memory of him.
The main purpose of Chang's trip to North Korea was to hold a memorial service for the late company president but the suspended tour was a topic when he met with North Korean officials, company officials said.
After years of wrangling with the Seoul government over terms of resuming the suspended tour, North Korea has recently deprived Hyundai Asan of its exclusive right to run tours to the resort.
In its latest retaliation against South Korea, the North also unilaterally seized all South Korean assets at the resort, including hotels, restaurants and a golf course. Their total value is estimated at $300 million.
Hyun Jeong-eun, who took over the Hyundai group after her husband's death, said at a separate memorial ceremony near Seoul Wednesday that her commitment to resuming the tour remains unchanged.
Her comment came days after North Korea threatened to dispose of South Korean assets in the coming weeks unless South Korean investors either join the North's new international tour program or lease, transfer or sell their assets during the period.
South Korea has vowed to explore every legal and diplomatic means to protect its property rights and warned the North will be held accountable for all consequences resulting from its disposal of the assets, estimated to be worth about 300 billion won (US$284 million).
Last week, North Korea signed a deal with a New York-based company for tours to the resort, the company president said Wednesday.
Steve Park, the president of Korea Pyongyang Trading U.S.A., said he plans to visit North Korea this weekend or next week to discuss concrete business plans.
Seoul's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said it plans to ascertain the facts regarding the reported deal before determining its reaction.
Hyundai Asan Corp., an affiliate of the giant Hyundai Group, launched a sightseeing tour to Mount Kumgang on the North's east coast in 1998. The tour remains suspended since a South Korean woman was shot dead by a North Korean soldier there in mid-2008.
"We had comprehensive discussions," Hyundai Asan CEO Chang Kyung-chak said after returning home from the one-day overland trip to the resort. He said his dialogue partner in the North was Ri Chung-bok, deputy manager of the Kumgang special tour zone.
Chang said he told North Koreans that "some pending issues" should be resolved before the tour can be resumed. He did not elaborate but his comments apparently referred to the Seoul government demand that the North apologize for the woman's death and take action to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident.
North Korea has rejected the South's demand, insisting that it has taken enough action to address the South Korean demand.
Chang led a six-member company delegation sent to the resort to pay tribute to the late Hyundai Group chief, Chung Mong-hun, who died in 2003 after working hard on inter-Korean business. After his death, a monument was set up at the resort in memory of him.
The main purpose of Chang's trip to North Korea was to hold a memorial service for the late company president but the suspended tour was a topic when he met with North Korean officials, company officials said.
After years of wrangling with the Seoul government over terms of resuming the suspended tour, North Korea has recently deprived Hyundai Asan of its exclusive right to run tours to the resort.
In its latest retaliation against South Korea, the North also unilaterally seized all South Korean assets at the resort, including hotels, restaurants and a golf course. Their total value is estimated at $300 million.
Hyun Jeong-eun, who took over the Hyundai group after her husband's death, said at a separate memorial ceremony near Seoul Wednesday that her commitment to resuming the tour remains unchanged.
Her comment came days after North Korea threatened to dispose of South Korean assets in the coming weeks unless South Korean investors either join the North's new international tour program or lease, transfer or sell their assets during the period.
South Korea has vowed to explore every legal and diplomatic means to protect its property rights and warned the North will be held accountable for all consequences resulting from its disposal of the assets, estimated to be worth about 300 billion won (US$284 million).
Last week, North Korea signed a deal with a New York-based company for tours to the resort, the company president said Wednesday.
Steve Park, the president of Korea Pyongyang Trading U.S.A., said he plans to visit North Korea this weekend or next week to discuss concrete business plans.
Seoul's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said it plans to ascertain the facts regarding the reported deal before determining its reaction.
