Dear editor,
North Korea will not cooperate with South Korea in the investigation of the shooting of Park Wang-ja, a female tourist from Seoul, at the Mt. Geumgang resort.
At best, what South Korea can hope for is to have a non-biased third party (not the U.S. or Japan) from the U.N. conduct a very small investigation which will be weak because evidence has been destroyed.
No one should be surprised that the camera was not properly working. And chances are the shooter has already been promoted, given a parade and transferred to avoid meeting any tourists, if tours are ever resumed.
Short of everyone having their own personal tour guide 24 hours a day, there is nothing Hyundai Asan, the operator of the inter-Korean tourism program, could do to prevent this tragedy.
Yes, the tour is a big moneymaker for Hyundai and it is a spectacular sight. I went there in May. But, obviously there are too many unknowns (mainly being in a Communist country that does not value liberty or life) that are deadly.
Usually inquisitive and wanting to stretch the envelope at some sights, I also know when things are real. I didn't even think of straying out of bounds or giving any reason to raise an eyebrow.
North Korea has proven time and again that they do not care about human life except their people at the top.
The North will continue to bite the hand that feeds it. Why? Because the person feeding it continues to stick their hand in the cage.
Remember the saying: Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. What number are we on with North Korea?
North Korea needs to be held accountable for the shooting. Don't let Park's death be in vain.
Charles Olmsted
Incheon