DPRK, ROK tensions mount over dual issues

2008-7-14  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE Democratic people's Republic of Korea yesterday rejected a proposal to resume stalled reconciliation talks with the Republic of Korea.

The refusal came at the same time as Seoul criticized Pyongyang for the shooting death of an ROK tourist.
The DPRK's main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, said in a commentary that ROK President Lee Myung-bak's proposal to restart bilateral talks was not worth considering, calling it a "deceitful" tactic to avoid taking responsibility for strained ties.

The snub was another sign of strained relations between the Koreas, which intensified after a DPRK soldier fatally shot an ROK tourist on Friday at a northern mountain resort.

ROK presidential spokes-man Lee Dong-kwan said yesterday it was "not appropriate" for the DPRK to rebuff Lee's proposal.

The ROK has criticized the DPRK for killing an innocent civilian, demanding that Seoul investigators be allowed to look into the case.

"If an investigation into this tragic incident is not made, that will throw a cold blanket over all the people's expectations for progress in South-North relations," the ROK Unification Ministry said in a statement.

The ROK government has suspended tours to the resort pending an inquiry.

However, the DPRK has refused to cooperate in any investigation, saying a 53-year-old housewife ignored a soldier's warning and tried to flee. The DPRK's tourism authorities have demanded that the ROK apologize for halting tours.

ROK Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyeon said yesterday there were many unanswered questions about the shooting, such as how the victim was able to cover a distance of 3.3 kilometers within 20 minutes of walking on a beach.

All 350 ROK tourists at the resort returned home yesterday, according to Hyundai Asan, the tour company. About 1,300 officials and retailers remained in the enclave because it was unclear how long the tours would be suspended, said Hyundai Asan spokeswoman Jang Young-ran.