N. Korea Seals Mt. Geumgang Facilities, Expels 4 Workers
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작성자 Kim Young-jin 작성일10-04-13 20:27 조회1,384회 댓글0건관련링크
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North Korea on Tuesday ordered four employees of a South Korea-supported resort in the North to leave the country, as part of a move to freeze South Korean assets there, according to sources in Seoul.
Hyundai Asan, the South Korean operator of tours to the Mt. Geumgang resort, said officials in the North had sealed entrances to five facilities run by the South. The mountain resort is the site of a suspended joint tourism project between the two countries.
<##IMAGE##> Responding to the situation, Seoul"s Ministry of Unification said: "North Korea"s measures to freeze the assets is regrettable and should be halted immediately."
The ministry said no specific countermeasures were planned. "We are going to monitor the situation and respond accordingly," a ministry spokesman said.
Minister of Unification Hyun In-taek, speaking at a National Assembly committee meeting, said that continued provocation on the part of the North could deal a blow to bilateral relations.
"If the North continues to expand these unjustified actions, we"ll regard it as an act that significantly damages inter-Korean relations and deal with the situation by taking a tough stance," Hyun said.
The expelled workers are reportedly ethnic Koreans from China and had been in charge of the maintenance of a family reunion center. The blocked facilities also include a cultural center, a hot springs resort and a duty-free shop.
The asset freeze is speculated to be an attempt to restart the tourism project, which had been a source of hard currency for the cash-strapped North. The tours, which began in 1998, were operated by Hyundai Asan before they were suspended after a South Korean woman was fatally shot while visiting the resort.
<##IMAGE##> South Korea has said it will resume the tours only after the North agrees to a joint on-site investigation of the shooting incident and offers a state-to-state guarantee of the safety of tourists. Pyongyang has claimed it made the safety guarantee during talks with Hyundai Asan.
South Korea has shown no signs of giving in to pressure from the North to restart the tours.
On Sunday, Seoul"s Ministry of Unification rejected the North"s demand that officials from the South visit the resort to discuss the asset freeze. Pyongyang made the announcement last week it would scrap the project and seek anew partner unless the South agreed to a survey of the assets.
The move comes as the North has reportedly been hit hard by the sanctions imposed by the U.N. for its nuclear test carried out on May 25 last year.
The resort received almost 2 million South Korean visitors between 1998 and 2008, earning the North hundreds of millions of dollars.
Hyundai Asan, the South Korean operator of tours to the Mt. Geumgang resort, said officials in the North had sealed entrances to five facilities run by the South. The mountain resort is the site of a suspended joint tourism project between the two countries.
<##IMAGE##> Responding to the situation, Seoul"s Ministry of Unification said: "North Korea"s measures to freeze the assets is regrettable and should be halted immediately."
The ministry said no specific countermeasures were planned. "We are going to monitor the situation and respond accordingly," a ministry spokesman said.
Minister of Unification Hyun In-taek, speaking at a National Assembly committee meeting, said that continued provocation on the part of the North could deal a blow to bilateral relations.
"If the North continues to expand these unjustified actions, we"ll regard it as an act that significantly damages inter-Korean relations and deal with the situation by taking a tough stance," Hyun said.
The expelled workers are reportedly ethnic Koreans from China and had been in charge of the maintenance of a family reunion center. The blocked facilities also include a cultural center, a hot springs resort and a duty-free shop.
The asset freeze is speculated to be an attempt to restart the tourism project, which had been a source of hard currency for the cash-strapped North. The tours, which began in 1998, were operated by Hyundai Asan before they were suspended after a South Korean woman was fatally shot while visiting the resort.
<##IMAGE##> South Korea has said it will resume the tours only after the North agrees to a joint on-site investigation of the shooting incident and offers a state-to-state guarantee of the safety of tourists. Pyongyang has claimed it made the safety guarantee during talks with Hyundai Asan.
South Korea has shown no signs of giving in to pressure from the North to restart the tours.
On Sunday, Seoul"s Ministry of Unification rejected the North"s demand that officials from the South visit the resort to discuss the asset freeze. Pyongyang made the announcement last week it would scrap the project and seek anew partner unless the South agreed to a survey of the assets.
The move comes as the North has reportedly been hit hard by the sanctions imposed by the U.N. for its nuclear test carried out on May 25 last year.
The resort received almost 2 million South Korean visitors between 1998 and 2008, earning the North hundreds of millions of dollars.
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