S. Korea proposes talks with North on mountain tours
- 5 years ago
We begin with the latest developments on North Korea's sudden request to remove South Korean facilities from Mt. Geumgang resort.
South Korea has made a counterproposal to North Korea... three days after the North demanded the removal of facilities from the iconic tourist site that represents inter-Korean cooperation.
Pyeongyang had suggested to discuss the matter in a written-form, but Seoul wants to meet for talks.
Kim Ji-yeon has our top story.
The Ministry of Unification has proposed working-level talks with North Korea about a long-suspended tour program at the North's Geumgang-san Mountain... this, in response to Pyeongyang's demand last Friday that Seoul remove all of its resort facilities there.
The ministry's spokesperson Lee Sang-min said in a briefing Monday... that notice was sent through the inter-Korean joint liaison office... proposing a meeting at the mountain... at a (quote)"convenient time"... bringing together the authorities of the two sides as well as executives from the South Korean tour operator, Hyundai Asan.
Lee said the government's been consistent with its stance that inter-Korean relations should be resolved in a reasonable way through dialogue... and warned that unilateral measures by the North could hurt relations.
"Unilateral measures concerning the property rights of South Korean businesses goes against the sentiment of the South Korean people,... which could potentially harm inter-Korean relations. There's a need to resolve this through sufficient dialogue between the two Koreas."
Lee added that the Geumgang-san Mountain area has served as an inter-Korean cooperative project,... as a rendezvous site for families separated by the Korean War... as well as a place for social and cultural exchanges.
Launched in 1998, the inter-Korean tour program to the mountain was suspended ten years later after a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean guard.
The North has yet to respond to Seoul's proposal.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.
South Korea has made a counterproposal to North Korea... three days after the North demanded the removal of facilities from the iconic tourist site that represents inter-Korean cooperation.
Pyeongyang had suggested to discuss the matter in a written-form, but Seoul wants to meet for talks.
Kim Ji-yeon has our top story.
The Ministry of Unification has proposed working-level talks with North Korea about a long-suspended tour program at the North's Geumgang-san Mountain... this, in response to Pyeongyang's demand last Friday that Seoul remove all of its resort facilities there.
The ministry's spokesperson Lee Sang-min said in a briefing Monday... that notice was sent through the inter-Korean joint liaison office... proposing a meeting at the mountain... at a (quote)"convenient time"... bringing together the authorities of the two sides as well as executives from the South Korean tour operator, Hyundai Asan.
Lee said the government's been consistent with its stance that inter-Korean relations should be resolved in a reasonable way through dialogue... and warned that unilateral measures by the North could hurt relations.
"Unilateral measures concerning the property rights of South Korean businesses goes against the sentiment of the South Korean people,... which could potentially harm inter-Korean relations. There's a need to resolve this through sufficient dialogue between the two Koreas."
Lee added that the Geumgang-san Mountain area has served as an inter-Korean cooperative project,... as a rendezvous site for families separated by the Korean War... as well as a place for social and cultural exchanges.
Launched in 1998, the inter-Korean tour program to the mountain was suspended ten years later after a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean guard.
The North has yet to respond to Seoul's proposal.
Kim Ji-yeon, Arirang News.