South Korean Tourist Shot by North Korean Soldier

A South Korean woman visiting Mt. Geumgang, a resort in North Korea, was shot and killed by a North Korean soldier for entering an off-limit area.

This is the first shooting of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier since the resort opened. Seoul has suspended trips to the resort and requested an explanation from Pyongyang. Depending on the results of an investigation, the South Korean government will take appropriate measures if North Korea is found to be at fault.

According to the Unification Ministry and Hyundai Asan, which runs the resort, Park Wang-ja, 53, was shot in the chest and hip and killed on the scene near a beach in Mt. Geumgang resort around 5 a.m. Friday.

The North said, “Park crossed the off-limit area and entered the military zone, and a soldier asked her to stop but she ran away so he shot.”

Park was visiting the resort with her three friends for three days and she left the hotel around 4:30 a.m. alone.

North Korea informed Hyundai Asan of her death at 9:20 a.m. Her body was delivered across the border at 1p.m. and arrived at Sokcho Hospital at 2:30 p.m.

The South Korean government expressed its deep regrets and created a taskforce led by Unification Deputy Minister Hong Yang-ho to conduct an investigation and come up with measures to prevent an incident of this kind from happening again.

Hong attended the Grand National Party Supreme Council Friday afternoon and said, “We will ask North Korea to take measures to conduct an official investigation through the channels in Panmunjom.” Unification Ministry spokesperson Kim Ho-nyun said, “According to the investigation results, we will take appropriate measures.”

In response to the government’s decision to suspend trips to Mt. Geumgang, Hyundai Asan began to bring 1,200 tourists at the resort back to South Korea from Friday afternoon.

Presidential spokesperson Lee Dong-kwan said, “President Lee Myung-bak said it’s regrettable that the life of a person, in particular a tourist who went on a trip to enjoy herself, was taken so violently. North Korea should actively cooperate with the investigation.”

When he handed over the appointment of presidential secretaries including Kim Deok-ryong, former legislator, at the presidential office, he ordered his staff to comfort the bereaved family and take appropriate measures after a thorough investigation.