Mount Baekdu has long been considered sacred by the Korean people, but since the nation was divided has been accessible only through China. Gaeseong was the capital of the Korean kingdom known as Goryeo and it is only two hours from Seoul. If tourism ventures involving Mount Baekdu and Gaeseong succeed, it will not be long until you can tour Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea and of the ancient kingdom Goguryeo.
For a North Korea that is suffering economic difficulties, tourism is an easy way to get foreign cash. It appears to have made this decision to expand tourism opportunities because the uncertainties about exchange with the South have dissipated and trust has been built through the experience at Mount Geumgang. Increasing tourism between North and South significantly contributes to increasing a sense of sameness as one people and fighting mutual feelings of hostility. That can be seen in a survey in which most respondents said they felt they understood the North better after visiting Mount Geumgang.
Hyundai says there has yet to be formal agreement about details such as the cost. Since this is one of those rare decisions made with the larger picture in mind, one would hope to see a reasonable conclusion that satisfies the need to maintain profitability. There must be no repeat of the mistakes made when tours of Mount Geumgang began, when ambition made those involved so hasty that they failed to balance spending with returns. The result was that Hyundai suffered as a company and the whole project was the subject of controversy about unilaterally "pouring" on the generosity to North Korea. The news about tours to Mount Baekdu and Gaeseong comes at a time when there is a reconciliatory mood for among other things the restart of the six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue, and one hopes to see it contribute in a big way to lessening tension on the Korean peninsula.
The Hankyoreh, 19 July 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
