Two Koreas Trade Accusations
N. Korea Vows to Expel Southerners From Geumgang
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The North Korean army supervising the Mt. Geumgang resort threatened Sunday to expel ``unnecessary South Korean personnel'' from the resort.
The Ministry of Unification regretted the move against South Koreans staying at the resort.
Seoul and Pyongyang have hardened their stance toward each other since a North Korean soldier shot dead a South Korean tourist at the Mt. Geumgang resort last month.
``We regret North Korea taking unconvincing measures, and not responding to our calls for investigations into the killing,'' ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said.
He urged the communist state to cooperate in preparing appropriate measures to secure safety of tourists and prevent a recurrence of similar incidents, stressing the South would not allow its citizens to visit the tourist zone.
Kim also stressed that additional safety measures should be taken for South Korean tourists in Gaeseong, another tourist resort in the North.
He added the government informed workers and officials of Hyundai Asan, the South's operator of the tour projects, that they should take extra care.
As of Sunday, a total of 262 South Koreans were working at the Mt. Geumgang resort.
The North's army said in a statement that the North would impose more restrictions on South Korean passage through the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
Pyongyang's harder position is the second official message to Seoul since 53-year-old housewife, Park Wang-ja, was shot dead by a North Korean soldier during an early morning stroll in the resort beach on July 11.
The statement reiterated the North's stance that the shooting death was an accident which took place in the predawn when it was impossible to identify whether the victim was even a female or male.
However, ministry spokesman Kim renewed the demand for the on-spot investigation in a bid to clarify suspicions, citing Seoul's two-day simulation which said that Park was shot when a soldier would have been able distinguish people's identity.
Criticizing Seoul's decision to shelve the tour program to the scenic mountain, the North Korean spokesman said the North had to reinforce control measures against the Mt. Geumgang tour program.