Responding to Seoul's request to restrict tourist visits to Mount Kumgang in North Korea, China said it "respects" laws related to tourism operation at the troubled resort, a government
source here said Friday.
According to the source, the National Tourism Administration of China told the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism earlier this month that China respects relevant laws and that it hopes problems surrounding the scenic resort would be resolved through inter-Korean
dialogue.
In April of this year, North Korea seized, or froze, South Korean assets at Mount Kumgang as Seoul remained reluctant to resume the suspended
cross-border tours. In May, Culture Minister Yu In-chon asked the Chinese tourism administration to refrain from sending tourists to the Outer Kumgang area out of concerns that the frozen South Korean facilities there may be used by visitors.
Yu also told China that the North's seizing of South Korean assets was in violation of inter-Korean contracts and sought Chinese cooperation in forcing North Korea to withdraw its illegal action.
"By 'relevant laws,' China may have referred to inter-Korean agreements and international law," the source said. "We take it that China understands where we're coming from."
On Wednesday, Koryo Group, a tour operator in Beijing, said North Korea would allow Westerners to visit Mount Kumgang starting June 29, but added that visitors would "not use (South Korean) facilities." A separate package in August will include a visit to Outer Kumgang, the group said.
Seoul's Unification Ministry said Friday that it would keep an eye on the situation, while urging the North to honor an agreement with its South Korean tour partner Hyundai Asan to give the firm the exclusive rights to the mountain tourism project.
"North Korea should guarantee that Hyundai Asan engages in free business activity at the Mount Kumgang area and protects its investment assets," ministry spokesman Lee Jong-joo told reporters. "North Korea should abide by the contract between tour operators, an agreement between the South and North Korean governments, and international practices."
The Mount Kumgang tour began in late 1998 as a symbol of reconciliation between the two Koreas but it was halted in July 2008, when a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korea soldier after venturing into a restricted area. Seoul has called for a full investigation into the incident and safety assurances from the North, but the demands have not been met.
North Korea has appeared anxious to restart the tour program, which was once a major cash cow for the poverty-stricken nation, but inter-Korean
dialogues over the resumption of the tours this year failed to yield any breakthrough.