If North Korea was targeting disagreement in South Korea at the political level with its latest move to annul an exclusivity agreement on Mt. Geumgang tourism with the Hyundai Group, then it can be judged a success.
Both the Grand National Party and minority Liberty Forward Party have swiftly denounced the move, reasserting the need for measures to guarantee the security of visitors to North Korea in advance of any resumption of tourism to either Mt. Geumgang or Kaesong, while the opposition Democratic Party, although critical of the North for breaking its agreement, has focused equally on calling the situation a result of governmental neglect.
Bae Eun Hee, a spokesperson for the ruling GNP told The Daily NK this morning, “This is not just a matter of clarifying our official position. There must be an apology for the Park Wang Ja incident, a promise of no repetitions and measures to guarantee the safety of Mt. Geumgang tourists.”
A South Korean civilian, Park Wang Ja was shot by a North Korean soldier after she ventured beyond the limits of a beachside resort adjoining Mt. Geumgang on July 11th, 2008.
Bae went on, “There has been no cooperation from the North so there has yet to be a clear investigation into the Park Wang Ja incident, but if we find any signs of North Korean official culpability after an investigation is complete, North Korea will have to take full responsibility.”
The Liberty Forward Party put forward a similar opinion in a statement today, stating, “This should be seen as North Korea’s vague intention to relieve its foreign currency crisis by threatening the Hyundai Group with an expected one trillion won in losses.”
However, the Democratic Party took a different tack, pointing out in its own statement, “We announce our deep regret at this unilateral measure, which is out of sync with international convention and in breach of inter-Korean agreements. However, the attitude of this government, which stuck to its Cold War course of actions and acted neglectfully even after North Korea said last March that it was terminating the contract on Mt. Geumgang tourism, must be criticized.”
“Through recent consultation on food aid, the U.S. has broadened the road to talks with North Korea,” the Democratic Party statement went on. “The government should overcome South-North tensions, and they exist within South-North problems, so President Lee must resolve to find a way to take the lead.”
Reinforcing the party line, Park Jie Won, the Democratic floor leader in the National Assembly also said today, “We denounce the North Korean threat on Mt. Geumgang tourism,” but added, “But equally, there is wrong on the part of the neglectful Lee Myung Bak government.”
