No Progress Made in Tourist Shooting Investigation

No progress has been made in the investigation of the shooting death of a South Korean tourist at North Korea’s Mount Geumgang resort.

Despite that six days have passed since the killing, the South Korean government and Hyundai Asan have been hopelessly pushed around by the words of the assailant, North Korea.

Seoul has heavily relied on Hyundai Asan, which is alleged to have been negligent in providing tourist safety. The company has also been reduced to the role of the North’s puppet messenger even in the process of investigating the accident.

On the cause of Park Wang-ja’s death, an investigation team yesterday said in its interim autopsy report, “Two bullets passed through Park’s body, damaging her organs such as the liver and lungs. She died from excessive bleeding.”

The team, however, admitted it has virtually failed to secure essential clues such as firing distance, the physical condition of the victim after being shot, and the number of shooters.

“Having only her corpse and her clothes, we are limited given that we haven’t been able to investigate the scene of the accident,” said one team member.

South Korean Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong said nothing new was discovered after his meeting with Hyundai Asan CEO Yoon Man-joon yesterday afternoon.

Seoul sent six telegraph messages urging Pyongyang to hold dialogue via its liaison officer at the truce village of Panmunjom Saturday and Tuesday, but to no avail.

In a news conference yesterday, Yoon said the victim left the Beach Hotel where she was staying at 4:18 a.m., 13 minutes earlier than originally reported.

“The time of the hotel’s security camera was 12 minutes 50 seconds fast,” said a Hyundai Asan source.

The company is likely to face a mountain of criticism for changing its story about the time after six days. Exactly when the incident occurred is considered one of the most crucial clues in the investigation.

Yoon also said, “Park climbed over the fence representing a military boundary and advanced 800 meters. She encountered a soldier and ran away for 500 meters before she was shot.”

This statement, however, is similar to the North’s claim, which has aroused many doubts among people in South Korea.

Driven into a corner, Seoul is considering seeking assistance from international community. “Other allies are also aware of the injustice of this case,” a government source said. “If necessary, we will draw up measures to elicit international cooperation.”

Pyongyang, however, has rejected all of Seoul’s requests and will likely continue to do so even if the international community gets involved.