By I like the fact that South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is sticking to his guns and demanding that the North Koreans apologize for the killing of a South Korean tourist before reopening any tours:
Victim of the North Korean murder at the Geumgang Resort Park Wang-ja.
North Korea on Thursday claimed that the Seoul government is effectively blocking South Koreans from visiting its tourist attractions and warned it could revoke all deals covering inter-Korean tours.
The Asia-Pacific Peace Committee statement carried by the official (North) Korean Central News Agency follows a fresh round of talks held last month that failed to reach a compromise on restarting tourism to the scenic Mount Kumgang on the east coast and Kaesong, the ancient capital of the Koryo Dynasty (A.D. 918-1392).
At the meeting, Seoul demanded an official apology for the shooting death of a female South Korean tourist in 2008 and a pledge that such an incident will not occur in the future.
“If the South Korean government continues to block the travel routes while making false accusations, we will be left with no choice but to take extreme measures,” an unidentified spokesman for the committee said. [Yonhap]
So the killing of a South Korean tourist at the Kumgang Resort is a false accusation? Even more pathetic than this claim is that there is actually plenty of people within South Korea willing to defend this North Korean claim.
7:20 am on March 4th, 2010 1
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is doing the right thing.
9:55 am on March 4th, 2010 2
agree
10:30 am on March 4th, 2010 3
“If the South Korean government continues to block the travel routes while making false accusations, we will be left with no choice but to take extreme measures,” an unidentified spokesman for the committee said."
I am often baffled by this kind of rhetoric from North Korea. Does anyone have a guess as to what the rhetorical strategy and objective are here? It is clear that the North Koreans need the increased trade with the other Korea and that the South does not. Thus, it is difficult for me to understand what could be gained by the North when they threaten to not increase, or even decrease, trade with the South? I mean I can imagine a petulant child, in a spat with her parent, deciding to skip out on her own dinner out of spite. But the DPRK behavior does not really fit this analogy.
I can imagine two purposes here: (1) To perpetuate the myth for consumption in the North that KJI's greatness causes the South to want to trade with him; (2) To get communist sympathisers in the South to increase pressure on the LMB government. But (1) makes less likely a successful outcome in negotiations and the effect of (2) is likely negligible.
I would like to set aside the obvious fact that they are out of touch. I'm more curious as to how their mind works in their delusion.
1:19 pm on March 4th, 2010 4
It makes no sense. But it has invited numerous countries , including the US, and South Korea, to try to make sense of it. To try to understand the 'meaning' of what they say, when there is no 'meaning' other than the obvious bloviating from the leadership of the North.
Its worked for the North Koreans in the past, and will be repeated again and again in their future until the regime collapses. Its just how they do business.
2:46 pm on March 4th, 2010 5
Ironically, North Korea also claims that the armed guards and barbed wire are there to protect the tourists.
6:58 pm on March 4th, 2010 6
More believable if they didn't shoot that poor lady in the back.
8:24 pm on March 4th, 2010 7
"More believable if they didn’t shoot that poor lady in the back."
That's a filthy rumor.
The poor guards had just watched the ending of the Wishing Stairs trailer.
http://www.thefilter.com/WebVideo/1097487-Wishing…
10:19 pm on March 4th, 2010 8
I don't know much about LMB's other policies, but he seems to have a very consistent and rational policy towards North Korea. If a dictator is behaving like an idiot, stop giving him money.
10:45 pm on March 4th, 2010 9
Yes, but you and I both know that barbed wire is to keep the locals from interacting with the tourists.
5:56 pm on August 10th, 2010 10
North Korean behavior is irrational & seemingly against the interest of their country except when viewed through the prism of strengthening the power of KJI. Why any SK corporation would invest in NK when their assets can be expropriated on a whim is absolutely beyond me. This investment does nothing to liberalize the NK regime as they don't care about what the SK think or what anybody else thinks, i.e. the NK support of the Myanmar regime. I hope some day that the people of NK will rise up & overthrow this lunatic asylum of a country.