The inter-Korean joint tourism on Mount Geumgang yesterday marked the 10th anniversary of its start amid a protracted suspension since a shooting incident in July.
The tour program, which began on Nov. 18, 1998, has been the symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation and economic cooperation for a decade. But it ironically turned into a token of tension between South and North Korea after South Korean female tourist Park Wang-ja was gunned down by a North Korean soldier in the resort on July 11.
Since the incident, the Seoul-Pyongyang relations have become confrontational, and inter-Korean joint projects have been derailed. The North last week threatened to "restrict and cut off" all overland passages of the inter-Korean border from Dec. 1.
Two Koreas did not hold an event to celebrate the anniversary.
The South Korean Unification Ministry said yesterday it hopes the two Koreas resume Mount Geumgang tourism as soon as possible.
"Our government believes if South and North Korean authorities meet to resolve the problem through mutual understanding and consultation, both sides would definitely find a solution," ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun told reporters.
"The government has sympathy for Hyundai Asan and other cooperative companies that have suffered difficulties since the suspension of Mount Geumgang tourism," Kim said.
When the incident broke out, Seoul demanded the North cooperate in investigating the incident and pledge to prevent a recurrence. But after Pyongyang refused to accept a joint investigation into the kill, Seoul suspended tourism immediately.
The tour project began in 1998 at the initiative of the late Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-young. Chung, who long cherished the vision, secured an agreement on the tour program from the North Korean government while he was making a historic overland visit to the North with a herd of cattle.
The Seoul government also approved the plan under a principle of division between politics and economics in relations with Pyongyang.
Initially, Mount Geumgang, which is in North Korea, was only accessible by ship from the South. But overland tours began after ground transportation between the two Koreas started in September 2003.
For the last decade, the project has repeatedly faced ups and downs with the fluctuating political situation on the peninsula, and corruption and succession scandals surrounding the Hyundai Group, the main operator of the tour.
When Pyongyang detonated a nuclear device in 2006, the United States demanded South Korea close the tour program, accusing it of becoming a source of the North`s funding for its nuclear program.
More than 1.9 million South Koreans in total have toured the scenic mountain on North Korea`s east coast as of June this year.
The South Korean government has said that tourism has spearheaded other inter-Korean economic projects including the Gaeseong industrial complex.
The North side has also said the program has "greatly contributed" to improving inter-Korean ties. The North said it made a significant concession in the operation of the tour program.
With the tours suspended for more than four months, Hyundai Asan and other cooperative companies are suffering severe sales losses.
Recent research said economic losses of the enterprises are estimated at over 100 billion won ($143 million).
According to the data, Hyundai Asan suffered a sales loss of around 70 billion won for the past three months since July 11 this year. Other private cooperative companies have also suffered about 5.5 billion won in losses among the travel, lodging, and food industries in Sokcho and Goseong region.
The Seoul government recently softened its stance in regard to the resumption of the tour. It allowed four South Korean civilians to visit the Mount Geumgang area yesterday to distribute 50,000 briquettes to North Koreans in a nearby town.
However, the North is apathetic to Seoul`s moves.
The communist country says the fate of the stalled programs hinges on Seoul`s attitude toward two inter-Korean summit accords, reiterating its call for South Korea to implement them.
"The South Korean government should implement the June 15 and Oct. 4 joint declarations. Here lies the road to the resumption of Mount Geumgang tourism and a restoration of the North-South relations," the North`s weekly paper Tongilsinbo said in its latest edition on Saturday.
North Korea has denounced the conservative Lee Myung-bak government for negating the summit declarations signed by his two liberal predecessors and the North`s leader Kim Jong-il.
Given the deep mistrust between both Koreas, observers here say, a resumption of the tour program is unlikely to happen in the near future.
By Jin Dae-woong
(davidpooh@heraldm.com)
[출처 : 코리아헤럴드]
