YuKyung Jung Joo-yung Gynmansium Opens Today

The opening ceremony of ‘YuKyung (the former name of Pyungyang) Jung Joo-yung’ gymnasium is to be held on the afternoon of October 6 at Pyungyang, North Korea.

In order to take part in the ceremony, about 1,000 people from South Korea including Hyun Jung-eun, the widow of the late Jung Mong-hun, and the former chief of Hyundai Asan, will take a bus to Pyungyang through Gaesung. This is the first time since the Korean War that this many people will use a road to visit Pyungyang.

100 cows will also be going to Pyungyang, which are supposed to be donated to North Korea, through the Korean National Red Cross. 15 companies including Hyundai Asan, Hyundai Motors, and Hyundai Heavy Industries which are related to the construction, donated the cows to Red Cross. The cow’s visit to North Korea is the fourth time since June 1998 (501), October 1998 (500) and August 2000 (500).

According to Hyundai Asan, various celebrities will take part in the ceremony, including Congressman Kim Ok-doo of MDP (Millenium Democratic Party), Lee Yoon-sung of GNP (Grand National Party), Lee Yeon-taek, the chief of Korea Sports Council, and Kim Young-soo, the chief of Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business. The 12,309 seats-gymnasium started construction in July 2000 and was scheduled to be completed in May 2003. It is located by Botong River, next to Yukyung Hotel, in the middle of downtown Pyungyang.

Jong sik Kong kong@donga.com