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María José Quintanilla González
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South Korea
S. Korea Rejects Talks on Border Tours
SEOUL, South Korea — The South Korean government on Wednesday rejected aNorth Korean request for talks about restarting cross-border tours to the Diamond Mountain resort in the North.
The tours, which were suspended by the South in 2008, annually brought millions ofdollars of hard currency to the cash-strapped North Korean regime.
Seoul suspended the Diamond Mountain tours after a South Korean woman was shot and killed there by a North Korean guard, apparently whenthe woman wandered into a restricted zone. Angered by the suspension of the tours, Pyongyang responded by seizing several South Korean-owned buildings at the jointly operated resort.
Seoul hasdemanded a fuller investigation of the shooting as well as more safeguards for its tourists before tours can begin again.
A government official in Seoul said privately that Kim Jong-il has given hispersonal assurance to the South Korean government that no further incidents will occur at Diamond Mountain, a promise that precludes the need for any further investigation or added security measures,according to the North.
North Korea had proposed holding the tourism talks on Friday, but negotiations about new tours would not be held as long as “the unjust measures” remained in effect, aspokeswoman from the Unification Ministry in Seoul said Wednesday, referring to the seized facilities.
In addition to a driving range and a shopping area at the resort, one of the seized buildings is areunion center where family members separated by the Korean War are reunited in a program overseen by Red Cross groups from both countries. Hundreds of relatives from both sides — most of whom had not seeneach other in nearly 60 years — gathered at the center two weeks ago in the first set of reunions to be held in more than a year.
The two sides are due to meet Nov. 25 to discuss further reunions,...