North Promises Not to Suspend Mt. Geumgang Tour

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, presently attending the 16th round of inter-Korean cabinet-level talks in Pyongyang, said on Thursday that a North Korean official assured him that the Mt. Geumgang tour would never be suspended.

Minister Chung told reporters this after he contacted North Korean Senior Cabinet Councilor Kwon Ho Ung the same day.

Chung said that regarding the Mt. Geumgang tour, Kwon said that this was a project that Hyundai chairmen Chung Ju-young and Chung Mong-hun had put in enormous efforts with North Korea to make happen, and that in the process, Hyundai Asan vice chairman Kim Yun-gyu played a significant role. Kwon expressed his disappointment with the internal problems of Hyundai and also was skeptical about the company’s willingness to continue the Mt. Geumgang tour business, according to the minister.

“It is true that I was requested by Hyundai Asan to deliver a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, but considering my position as the chief delegate to the talks, it would be an inappropriate gesture, so I recommended Hyundai find a way to deliver the letter itself,” Chung explained.

Jung-Ahn Kim credo@donga.com