Last Monday on February 8th the two Koreas held a working-level meeting on the resumption of the Mt. Geumgang and Gaeseong tour programs in Gaeseong. However, the meeting came to an end with no tangible progress. The latest inter-Korean tourism meeting was the first one since the tour program was suspended after a South Korean tourist was shot and killed on July 11th, 2008 at a location near Mt. Geumgang resort. The talks lasted only an hour and 40 minutes, just long enough to confirm how far apart the two sides were on this issue. The South Korean delegation demanded three conditions before resuming the tour programs – find out the truth about the shooting death of a South Korean woman, North Korea’s assurance that no such tragedy would take place again, and specific measures to guarantee the safety of South Korean tourists. However, North Korean delegates just expressed their regrets over the South Korean’s death and insisted that no further discussion on this matter was needed, because the investigation into the shooting death has already been concluded and Chairman Kim Jong-il had promised that no such accident would take place again. Mr. Jang Yong-seok of the Institute of Peace Affairs looks for a more fundamental cause for the breakdown of the talks.

The Mt. Geumgang tourism is a symbol of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation and a barometer of inter-Korean relations. In addition to being a tour program, it can work as a means to deter North Korea’s nuclear development. So the problem goes deeper than the differences shown at the working-level meeting. The South Korean government is concerned that the money South Korea pays for the tourism programs can be diverted to develop more nuclear weapons. This is why Seoul is rather reluctant to resume the tourism program when such important issues as North Korea’s nuclear armament and the stalled six-way nuclear talks still remain unresolved. The South Korean government is even looking into paying for the tourism fee in goods, not in cash. I think the basic matters related to the nuclear issue should be resolved first to reach any breakthrough in the tourism program.

The atmosphere of the meeting was filled with tension from the beginning. The South Korean delegation proposed a moment of silence for the dead South Korean tourist, but the North Korean side did not join in. Although the North Korean delegates did not oppose or show any reactions, this little incident at the beginning of the meeting demonstrated the wide difference separating the two sides. Nonetheless, the North was quite eager about the talks. They proposed a deal to resume the Gaeseong tour program on March 1st and the Mt. Geumgang project on April 1st, and even asked to hold the second round of the working-level meeting on February 12th. As for the detailed investigation into the shooting death, the North Korean side even relented to the point of allowing South Korean investigators to see the scene where the shooting took place. Judging from the eager attitude of the North Korean delegation, experts think that Pyongyang is desperate to restart the tourism project soon to gain practical economic benefits.

The most important reason for North Korea to resume the tourism project is to gain economic benefits. Internally North Korea is still in great economic trouble. An inflow of money and resources from outside could really help out the North Korean economy. I believe that the North Korea military made quite a concession in that respect to gain real economic assistance.

However, South Korea had, in essence, rejected North Korea’s proposal. The Ministry of Unification is reportedly more concerned about North Korea’s measures to ensure tourist safety rather than when to resume the tourism project. The North Korean Central TV criticized the South Monday evening for coming to the talks with insincere and unfaithful attitude and blamed South Korea for not reaching any agreement at the talks. Prior to that, North Korea’s Ministry of People’s Security and Ministry of State Security had jointly issued a strong anti-South statement, pledging harsh measures against South Korea’s attempts to overthrow the Kim regime through the distribution of anti-North leaflets and spying. Despite the North’s hard-line stance, however, Mr. Jang doesn’t see that it will leave any negative impact on the inter-Korean dialogue.

The South Korean government has no reason to fuel inter-Korean conflict. Rather, Seoul been trying to keep the situation under control by referring to the president’s willingness to hold an inter-Korean summit. As for North Korea, the nation has been extremely touchy when it came to issues directly related to the continuation of its regime, but its priority is improving the lives of its people. In that regard, North Korea has to cooperate with the outside world, and, knowing that, Pyongyang will not give up on dialogue. I don’t think the joint statement issued by the North Korean security authorities will end up creating serious stumbling blocks for the inter-Korean ties.

Experts forecast that although the recent talks did not produce any tangible results, it is still highly likely for the working-level officials to sit down and talk about the resumption of the tourism projects. Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung pointed out that given the nature of these issues, it will probably take more than one or two meetings for the two sides to come to an agreement. Some even make cautious projections about the tourism programs restarting after February 17th, following the Lunar New Year’s holiday weekend and Chairman Kim’s birthday.

There may be some significant changes after the Lunar New Year’s Day. Those changes may have to do with the six-party nuclear talks or any other discussions about North Korea’s nuclear program. I think we need to look at the situation from the North Korea’s point of view in order to improve the inter-Korean relations. North Korea had declared the improvement of people’s lives as its key challenge. I think it’s rather fortunate for South Korea that North Korea cannot meet this challenge by simply mobilizing its own resources. The Kim Jong-il regime must expand its cooperation with the outside world in order to better the standard of living for the North Korean people. In that respect, there are opportunities for South Korea to win the hearts of North Korean people. By increasing exchanges with and access to North Koreans, South Korea must obtain more information about North Korea and induce North Koreans to change.

The Mt. Geumgang tourism project has served as a buffer whenever a conflict arose between the two Koreas. Hopefully, the next round of working-level meeting could take place soon so that the two sides can find a new breakthrough in inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation.


[Interview] Defector Finds New Life as Counselor for Fellow N. Koreans
The Unification Ministry assigned 30 counselors tailored for North Korean defectors who have resettled in South Korea to relevant organizations nationwide on January 25 to offer them counseling services and help them get jobs. Out of 90 applicants who majored in counseling psychology or worked in related areas, 30 people, including seven former North Korean defectors, were finally selected as counselors through career papers and interviews. One such defector-turned-counselor is Kim Jeong-hye, who has worked as a nurse in South Korea. Since last month, she’s been on temporary duty at the Hanbit Welfare Center in Shinwol-dong in the Yangcheon District, western Seoul, preparing for counseling for North Korean newcomers. Let’s meet with Ms. Kim.

Upon arriving in South Korea, North Korean defectors are supposed to go through a training program at Hanawon, a resettlement center for newcomers from the North. We, counselors, provide help to the defectors who complete the Hanawon program with various services related to welfare and medical problems in order to assist them to better adjust to South Korean society. I thought I could do something as a counselor and I was determined to seize that opportunity. I was glad to do what I wanted to do.

Ms. Kim hoped to become a doctor when she was little. But she couldn’t fulfill her childhood dream in North Korea. After defecting to South Korea in 2002, she attended a nursing college and acquired a nursing license. What’s more, she studied social welfare in the hope of doing something more valuable in South Korea. But she had always been plagued by the dreadful memory of being repatriated to North Korea in the course of escaping the North and the fears of dying at any moment. Even after arriving in South Korea, she constantly suffered from ill health, including colds, headaches and indigestion.

Many North Korean escapees suffer from psychological strain. The emotional difficulties often lead to physical illnesses, like fatigue and a severe headache. I think defectors will have a hard time in accommodating to South Korean society if they can’t get over their physical and mental illnesses easily. Personally, I suffered a splitting headache, fatigue and muscular pain. My immune system weakened. Sometimes I experienced a sleeping disorder. It was very difficult to overcome those problems, although I tried hard to do so.

Kim often discovered that many of her fellow North Korean expatriates, too, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder or their immune systems deteriorated quickly. And she realized it was all the more painful for the defectors to endure the problems, because they could hardly open their hearts to other people. It feels like North Korean newcomers, as Kim describes, have just ridden a time machine through the next 40 or 50 years, moving from socialism to capitalism, from a collective society to a culture focused on the individual. She decided to be a counselor to help defectors heal their deep emotional wounds stemming from such a drastic change.

At some point in my life, I was struggling to survive on my own. But one day, I began to see people around me, who had difficulty in adapting themselves to a new environment. It just came to me that I could do something for them. Of course, there are many experienced counselors here in South Korea. But many of them do not understand North Korean culture very well. As a former defector myself, I thought I could make up for some limitations that South Korean counselors face. That was why I started this job.

Kim stresses that a counselor’s major task is to hold the hands of people in need and to help them stand up. Eer efforts and enthusiasm will hopefully contribute to promoting the defectors’ mental health and nurturing their hope.