By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
A South Korean detained in North Korea for 135 days is expected to return home soon following a visit by Hyundai Group chief Hyun Jung-eun to Pyongyang, according to observers here Tuesday.
If Hyun successfully secures his release, it could signal an advancement in inter-Korean relations that have soured due to the Lee Myung-bak administration's tougher stance toward the North Korean regime, they said.
"The release could jumpstart inter-Korean relations," said professor Yang Moo-jin at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
But he said whether or not further advancements are made will depend on the South Korean government.
"Yu's release could signal a temporary improvement in bilateral ties, but it could also indicate brisk exchanges in the future."
It was initially speculated that the 44-year-old Yu would be set free Tuesday morning.
Professor Yang said the North Korean authorities and Hyundai might have had difficulty narrowing the gap in their views.
"For example, Hyundai may want to stipulate ways to prevent this kind of thing from reoccurring, but the North may be reluctant to accept the suggestion," he said.
Yu, an employee of Hyundai Asan, the operator of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, was arrested on March 30 for allegedly vilifying the North Korean regime and attempting to entice a North Korean woman to defect to the South.
During months of detention, South Korean officials and attorneys have not been allowed to meet him.
Hyun, her daughter and a Hyundai official entered the secretive state Monday in a bid to win his release.
Meanwhile, the fate of four crew members of a fishing boat also being detained in the North remains uncertain.
The professor speculated that they were unlikely to return home with Yu.
"The North may want to keep some measures to press Seoul," he said. "If there is a sign of improving bilateral relations after the release of Yu, the North could set them free."
The fishing vessel "800 Yeonan," with the crewmembers onboard, was towed to the North on July 30 after a reported malfunction of its navigating system.
The North has repeatedly stated that a relevant agency has been investigating the matter.
The Hyundai chairwoman is also expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il during her three-day trip, one more day extended from her original schedule.
It has been speculated that the two will discuss the resumption of tours to the Mt. Geumgang resort and the expansion of economic cooperation.
Trips to the scenic mountain have been suspended since a South Korean female tourist was shot dead by a North Korean solider near the resort in July last year.
The North refused to investigate the case, so details of the incident remain a mystery.
The Ministry of Unification did not confirm any of the reports about Hyun's visit.
Spokesman Chun Hae-sung told reporters a day earlier that Hyun did not carry any message from the government, indicating she was not a special envoy.