ID :
75229
Fri, 08/14/2009 - 13:46
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/75229
The shortlink copeid
ROUNDUP) (LEAD) Freed from North Korea, S. Korean worker returns home
((ATTN: MODIFIES lead, UPDATES with Hyundai chief's potential meeting with N.K.
leader, ADDS Yu's job description, more expert view)
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean worker returned home Thursday after
more than four months of detention in North Korea, as Pyongyang presented a rare
fence-mending gesture to raise hopes of refreshing inter-Korean relations.
Yu Seong-jin, an employee of Hyundai Group's North Korea business unit, Hyundai
Asan Corp., had been detained incommunicado since March on accusations of
criticizing the North's political system. His release came as the chairwoman of
the conglomerate, Hyun Jung-eun, was in Pyongyang for the fourth day.
"I'm happy to be back safely," Yu told reporters and a welcoming crowd who packed
the Inter-Korean Transit Office, a gateway from North Korea, in the South Korean
border town of Paju.
"I deeply thank the intelligence authorities, Hyundai Asan and all of you who
made a lot of efforts for me," he said, before being led away by guards.
The 44-year-old technician, sporting a beige baseball cap and casual clothing,
remained calm and looked healthy after 137 days of detention. He received a
medical checkup and "doesn't seem to have any particular health problem,"
Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said in a briefing.
With Yu released, all eyes were on the Hyundai chief as she sought to meet with
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il before her return on Friday.
In a conciliatory gesture, North Korea invited her on Monday, just days after
former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang to win the release of two
detained American journalists.
Kim appeared to be out of Pyongyang for provincial tours, but Seoul officials did
not rule out the possibility of the meeting. In 2000, Hyun's father-in-law and
group founder, Chung Ju-yung, was provided a flight from Pyongyang to an eastern
coastal town to meet with Kim, who was on an inspection tour there.
Kim was now likely in the same eastern coastal city, Wonsan in Kangwon Province,
as North Korean media on Thursday reported his inspection there. "We have no
information about Chairwoman Hyun's location now," a government source said,
suggesting she may be outside Pyongyang.
Hyun, who was initially scheduled to return Wednesday, has extended her trip
twice to meet with Kim.
Before handing Yu over to Hyundai, a North Korean official read aloud the results
of the investigation into him, the ministry spokesman said. The boiler mechanic,
who supervised a lodging facility for North Korean workers at a joint park in the
North's border town of Kaesong, was accused of "slandering" the North's political
system and trying to persuade a local woman to defect to South Korea. North Korea
"deported" him, the ministry spokesman said, suggesting the investigation found
him guilty.
No ransom was paid for his freedom, the spokesman said.
The two Koreas held three rounds of negotiations after his detention, but there
was no progress, as North Korea refused to discuss Yu's case. Instead, Pyongyang
demanded hefty hikes in wages and land fees from South Korean firms operating at
the joint park. Seoul rejected the demand.
Yu's aged, ailing parents were not yet fully relieved, as they had yet to see
their son. His company did not inform them of the son's detention long after it
occurred, worrying it would shock them and harm their frail health.
"We want to see our son," his 75-year-old father said. "Thank you everyone who
worked so hard to help him return safely."
South Korea's presidential office welcomed Yu's release, but with a reserved
tone. It said Seoul's policy on Pyongyang will remain unchanged, amid speculation
President Lee Myung-bak may reciprocate with a reconciliatory offer to North
Korea on Liberation Day, which will be celebrated Saturday.
"It's late, but fortunate," Lee Dong-kwan, spokesman for the president, told
reporters. "The government will continue to maintain its policy consistency
toward North Korea."
South Korea is still concerned about four fishermen detained north of the border.
Their squid fishing boat, the Yeonan 800, was hauled into a North Korean port for
investigation July 30. In the latest inter-Korean maritime contact Thursday,
North Korea repeated "an investigation was underway," the ministry spokesman
said.
The release of Yu removed a major roadblock in inter-Korean relations, experts
say. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korea Studies, said
Pyongyang tossed the ball into the Lee government's court. Inter-Korean relations
rapidly chilled after hardline Lee took office last year, linking economic aid to
Pyongyang's moves toward denuclearization.
"Should the government holds onto its perception that North Korean
denuclearization is a priority to inter-Korean relations, the stalemate will
continue. A switch from that perception will restore the relations," Yang said.
Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea studies professor at Dongguk University, said North
Korea repatriated him as part of its efforts to improve relations with the United
States. It also needs South Korean support in the face of U.N. financial
sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests, he said.
"It cannot improve its U.S. relations as long as the inter-Korean relations are
in limbo. South Korea then will complain to the U.S., and the U.S. will then put
a break on its progress with North Korea," Koh said.
Hyundai invested US$1.2 billion won to open joint tourism and industrial ventures
in North Korea, but most of them have been suspended or scaled down as political
relations unraveled last year.
The Kaesong Industrial Council, which represents South Korean businesses
investing in Kaesong, hoped Yu's return will boost business sentiment at the
troubled park. Yu's case has sparked security concerns at the venture, prompting
some firms to consider withdrawing.
"We hope this incident will help thaw the frozen inter-Korean relations and boost
the Kaesong industrial park," the council said in a statement.
The joint park combining South Korean capital and technology with North Korean
labor was developed by Hyundai Asan and opened in late 2004. The venture now
hosts more than 100 South Korean small firms employing about 40,000 North
Koreans, producing clothing, kitchenware, electronic equipment and other
labor-intensive goods.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
leader, ADDS Yu's job description, more expert view)
By Kim Hyun
SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean worker returned home Thursday after
more than four months of detention in North Korea, as Pyongyang presented a rare
fence-mending gesture to raise hopes of refreshing inter-Korean relations.
Yu Seong-jin, an employee of Hyundai Group's North Korea business unit, Hyundai
Asan Corp., had been detained incommunicado since March on accusations of
criticizing the North's political system. His release came as the chairwoman of
the conglomerate, Hyun Jung-eun, was in Pyongyang for the fourth day.
"I'm happy to be back safely," Yu told reporters and a welcoming crowd who packed
the Inter-Korean Transit Office, a gateway from North Korea, in the South Korean
border town of Paju.
"I deeply thank the intelligence authorities, Hyundai Asan and all of you who
made a lot of efforts for me," he said, before being led away by guards.
The 44-year-old technician, sporting a beige baseball cap and casual clothing,
remained calm and looked healthy after 137 days of detention. He received a
medical checkup and "doesn't seem to have any particular health problem,"
Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said in a briefing.
With Yu released, all eyes were on the Hyundai chief as she sought to meet with
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il before her return on Friday.
In a conciliatory gesture, North Korea invited her on Monday, just days after
former U.S. President Bill Clinton visited Pyongyang to win the release of two
detained American journalists.
Kim appeared to be out of Pyongyang for provincial tours, but Seoul officials did
not rule out the possibility of the meeting. In 2000, Hyun's father-in-law and
group founder, Chung Ju-yung, was provided a flight from Pyongyang to an eastern
coastal town to meet with Kim, who was on an inspection tour there.
Kim was now likely in the same eastern coastal city, Wonsan in Kangwon Province,
as North Korean media on Thursday reported his inspection there. "We have no
information about Chairwoman Hyun's location now," a government source said,
suggesting she may be outside Pyongyang.
Hyun, who was initially scheduled to return Wednesday, has extended her trip
twice to meet with Kim.
Before handing Yu over to Hyundai, a North Korean official read aloud the results
of the investigation into him, the ministry spokesman said. The boiler mechanic,
who supervised a lodging facility for North Korean workers at a joint park in the
North's border town of Kaesong, was accused of "slandering" the North's political
system and trying to persuade a local woman to defect to South Korea. North Korea
"deported" him, the ministry spokesman said, suggesting the investigation found
him guilty.
No ransom was paid for his freedom, the spokesman said.
The two Koreas held three rounds of negotiations after his detention, but there
was no progress, as North Korea refused to discuss Yu's case. Instead, Pyongyang
demanded hefty hikes in wages and land fees from South Korean firms operating at
the joint park. Seoul rejected the demand.
Yu's aged, ailing parents were not yet fully relieved, as they had yet to see
their son. His company did not inform them of the son's detention long after it
occurred, worrying it would shock them and harm their frail health.
"We want to see our son," his 75-year-old father said. "Thank you everyone who
worked so hard to help him return safely."
South Korea's presidential office welcomed Yu's release, but with a reserved
tone. It said Seoul's policy on Pyongyang will remain unchanged, amid speculation
President Lee Myung-bak may reciprocate with a reconciliatory offer to North
Korea on Liberation Day, which will be celebrated Saturday.
"It's late, but fortunate," Lee Dong-kwan, spokesman for the president, told
reporters. "The government will continue to maintain its policy consistency
toward North Korea."
South Korea is still concerned about four fishermen detained north of the border.
Their squid fishing boat, the Yeonan 800, was hauled into a North Korean port for
investigation July 30. In the latest inter-Korean maritime contact Thursday,
North Korea repeated "an investigation was underway," the ministry spokesman
said.
The release of Yu removed a major roadblock in inter-Korean relations, experts
say. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korea Studies, said
Pyongyang tossed the ball into the Lee government's court. Inter-Korean relations
rapidly chilled after hardline Lee took office last year, linking economic aid to
Pyongyang's moves toward denuclearization.
"Should the government holds onto its perception that North Korean
denuclearization is a priority to inter-Korean relations, the stalemate will
continue. A switch from that perception will restore the relations," Yang said.
Koh Yu-hwan, a North Korea studies professor at Dongguk University, said North
Korea repatriated him as part of its efforts to improve relations with the United
States. It also needs South Korean support in the face of U.N. financial
sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests, he said.
"It cannot improve its U.S. relations as long as the inter-Korean relations are
in limbo. South Korea then will complain to the U.S., and the U.S. will then put
a break on its progress with North Korea," Koh said.
Hyundai invested US$1.2 billion won to open joint tourism and industrial ventures
in North Korea, but most of them have been suspended or scaled down as political
relations unraveled last year.
The Kaesong Industrial Council, which represents South Korean businesses
investing in Kaesong, hoped Yu's return will boost business sentiment at the
troubled park. Yu's case has sparked security concerns at the venture, prompting
some firms to consider withdrawing.
"We hope this incident will help thaw the frozen inter-Korean relations and boost
the Kaesong industrial park," the council said in a statement.
The joint park combining South Korean capital and technology with North Korean
labor was developed by Hyundai Asan and opened in late 2004. The venture now
hosts more than 100 South Korean small firms employing about 40,000 North
Koreans, producing clothing, kitchenware, electronic equipment and other
labor-intensive goods.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
