ID :
75042
Thu, 08/13/2009 - 09:00
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/75042
The shortlink copeid
Kim Jong-il likely out of town amid Hyundai chief's visit
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il appeared to be out of town Wednesday, while South Korea's Hyundai Group chairwoman extended her trip to the country on a mission to bring home a detained employee.
Hyun Jung-eun, initially scheduled to return Wednesday, changed her itinerary to
stay one more day in North Korea, indicating her meeting with Kim has not yet
taken place. North Korean media reported Kim's two separate tours to a northern
town, with no word about the Hyundai chief.
Customarily, the North's Korean Central News Agency did not report the time of
Kim's visits in Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, but he appeared to be staying
there, said Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung.
"I can't be 100 percent sure, but Kim currently seems to be in Hamhung,
considering the two consecutive reports in the morning and in the evening of his
visits there," Chun said.
Hyun drove to Pyongyang on Monday in the wake of former U.S. President Bill
Clinton's visit there to meet with the North Korean leader and win the release of
two American journalists last week.
An employee of Hyundai Asan Corp., the group's North Korea business unit, has
been detained in the North since late March on accusations of criticizing the
North's political system and trying to persuade a local woman to defect to the
South. The 44-year-old, only identified by his family name Yu, was working at a
joint industrial park in the North's border town of Kaesong.
North Korea has denied Seoul access to Yu and refused to discuss his case in
government-level talks, only saying an investigation is underway.
Hyundai also faces mounting deficits from its North Korea tour projects that were
suspended last year as inter-Korean relations unraveled.
Hyun is largely expected to be granted a meeting with Kim during her visit. The
two met twice in 2005 and again in 2007 to seal tour deals. Hyundai Asan
spokesman Kim Young-soo said Hyun's current location was not known.
"The chairwoman was in Pyongyang for sure until 10 p.m. yesterday" when her
entourage gave a phone call to her Seoul office, "but we don't know after that,"
the spokesman said.
There is speculation that Hyun may fly into the northern town. In a rare case in
2000, Hyun's father-in-law and Hyundai's late founder, Chung Ju-yung, flew from
Pyongyang to an eastern North Korean naval base to meet with Kim who was giving a
field inspection there.
The North Korean media said Kim visited the Kim Jong Suk Naval University and
watched a play with soldiers in the same town. His brisk public tours this year
appeared to indicate he is back in full command after allegedly suffering a
stroke a year ago.
Yu's case and the stalled ventures are key agenda items for the Hyundai chief,
but experts believe she will also play a mediating role between President Lee
Myung-bak and the North Korean leader. The mood across the peninsula shifted in
favor of dialogue following Clinton's trip, but Hyun, as a non-governmental
figure, has only limited capacity, said Paik Hak-soon with the non-governmental
Sejong Institute in Seoul.
"Mutual trust between the governments is now damaged, and Hyun is serving as a
bridge," Paik said. "She took Seoul's message and will come back with a message
from Pyongyang. But then, officials will have to meet to make real progress."
In a positive sign, North Korea gave a hearty welcome to the Hyundai chief,
opening the land border for her drive to Pyongyang and sending a high-level
official, Ri Jong-hyok, to receive her.
The Hyundai spokesman said North Korea invited Hyun to the Paekhwawon State Guest
House, North Korea's highest-level guest house, where Clinton stayed and dined
with Kim.
Hyun was accompanied by her daughter and heir apparent, Chung Ji-yi, who was
present in all of her previous meetings with Kim.
The trip came as North Korea faced tightening U.S. sanctions over its nuclear
test in May.
The Treasury Department on Tuesday froze the U.S. assets of Korea Kwangson
Banking Corp. for alleged involvement in Pyongyang's missile and nuclear
programs. Washington officials say U.N. sanctions will continue to be enforced on
North Korea and are unaffected by Clinton's visit.
Hyundai has invested US$1.2 billion to open joint ventures in North Korea over
the past decade, but they hit a snag last year as political ties frayed. The
conservative Lee government took a tough stance on North Korea's nuclear program
and cut off massive economic aid, prompting North Korea to retaliate by
suspending dialogue and threatening joint industrial projects.
Hyun took over as the group chief after her husband, Chung Mong-hun, took his own
life in 2003 amid mounting deficits from North Korean ventures and an
investigation into allegations of a secret payment to North Korea.
SEOUL, Aug. 12 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il appeared to be out of town Wednesday, while South Korea's Hyundai Group chairwoman extended her trip to the country on a mission to bring home a detained employee.
Hyun Jung-eun, initially scheduled to return Wednesday, changed her itinerary to
stay one more day in North Korea, indicating her meeting with Kim has not yet
taken place. North Korean media reported Kim's two separate tours to a northern
town, with no word about the Hyundai chief.
Customarily, the North's Korean Central News Agency did not report the time of
Kim's visits in Hamhung, South Hamgyong Province, but he appeared to be staying
there, said Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung.
"I can't be 100 percent sure, but Kim currently seems to be in Hamhung,
considering the two consecutive reports in the morning and in the evening of his
visits there," Chun said.
Hyun drove to Pyongyang on Monday in the wake of former U.S. President Bill
Clinton's visit there to meet with the North Korean leader and win the release of
two American journalists last week.
An employee of Hyundai Asan Corp., the group's North Korea business unit, has
been detained in the North since late March on accusations of criticizing the
North's political system and trying to persuade a local woman to defect to the
South. The 44-year-old, only identified by his family name Yu, was working at a
joint industrial park in the North's border town of Kaesong.
North Korea has denied Seoul access to Yu and refused to discuss his case in
government-level talks, only saying an investigation is underway.
Hyundai also faces mounting deficits from its North Korea tour projects that were
suspended last year as inter-Korean relations unraveled.
Hyun is largely expected to be granted a meeting with Kim during her visit. The
two met twice in 2005 and again in 2007 to seal tour deals. Hyundai Asan
spokesman Kim Young-soo said Hyun's current location was not known.
"The chairwoman was in Pyongyang for sure until 10 p.m. yesterday" when her
entourage gave a phone call to her Seoul office, "but we don't know after that,"
the spokesman said.
There is speculation that Hyun may fly into the northern town. In a rare case in
2000, Hyun's father-in-law and Hyundai's late founder, Chung Ju-yung, flew from
Pyongyang to an eastern North Korean naval base to meet with Kim who was giving a
field inspection there.
The North Korean media said Kim visited the Kim Jong Suk Naval University and
watched a play with soldiers in the same town. His brisk public tours this year
appeared to indicate he is back in full command after allegedly suffering a
stroke a year ago.
Yu's case and the stalled ventures are key agenda items for the Hyundai chief,
but experts believe she will also play a mediating role between President Lee
Myung-bak and the North Korean leader. The mood across the peninsula shifted in
favor of dialogue following Clinton's trip, but Hyun, as a non-governmental
figure, has only limited capacity, said Paik Hak-soon with the non-governmental
Sejong Institute in Seoul.
"Mutual trust between the governments is now damaged, and Hyun is serving as a
bridge," Paik said. "She took Seoul's message and will come back with a message
from Pyongyang. But then, officials will have to meet to make real progress."
In a positive sign, North Korea gave a hearty welcome to the Hyundai chief,
opening the land border for her drive to Pyongyang and sending a high-level
official, Ri Jong-hyok, to receive her.
The Hyundai spokesman said North Korea invited Hyun to the Paekhwawon State Guest
House, North Korea's highest-level guest house, where Clinton stayed and dined
with Kim.
Hyun was accompanied by her daughter and heir apparent, Chung Ji-yi, who was
present in all of her previous meetings with Kim.
The trip came as North Korea faced tightening U.S. sanctions over its nuclear
test in May.
The Treasury Department on Tuesday froze the U.S. assets of Korea Kwangson
Banking Corp. for alleged involvement in Pyongyang's missile and nuclear
programs. Washington officials say U.N. sanctions will continue to be enforced on
North Korea and are unaffected by Clinton's visit.
Hyundai has invested US$1.2 billion to open joint ventures in North Korea over
the past decade, but they hit a snag last year as political ties frayed. The
conservative Lee government took a tough stance on North Korea's nuclear program
and cut off massive economic aid, prompting North Korea to retaliate by
suspending dialogue and threatening joint industrial projects.
Hyun took over as the group chief after her husband, Chung Mong-hun, took his own
life in 2003 amid mounting deficits from North Korean ventures and an
investigation into allegations of a secret payment to North Korea.
