North Korea has demolished a golf course along with other resort facilities built by neighboring South Korea as a symbol of peace between the two countries. Satellite imagery detected the floating Haegumgang Hotel situated in the tourist resort in the mountains of Mount Kumgang was partially blown up with explosives last weekend.
According to The Chosunilbo, a spokesperson from the Unification Ministry of South Korea, Cha Deok-Cheol, have just found out that the North is in the process of dismantling the golf course and the resort which is part of the $75 million tourist destination.
The ministry official told reporters he is urging Pyongyang to explain their actions and quickly respond to a call for cross-border talk to resolve any issues. “The act of dismantling the hotel clearly goes against the purpose of joint-Korean efforts based on mutual respect and consultations,” the ministry added.
Although the media has not received any response from North Korea, the decision has been taken as a sign of Kim Jong-un’s move toward a possible confrontation.
The sprawling golf resort and its facilities were built and opened in May 2008 on a 1.69 million square meter land that is managed by South Korean hotel and resort operator, Ananti. The project was envisioned to help the north-south relations through economic assistance and financial engagement initiated by Nobel Peace prize winner Kim Dae Jung to soften North Korea’s feelings towards its southern neighbor.
The property was subleased from Hyundai Asan for 50 years and has attracted tens of thousands of South Koreans traveling to the northern mountain resort. South Korean tourists were encouraged to spend foreign currencies but were not allowed to interact with North Koreans.
However, in July 2008, only two months after its opening - resort operations were put to a halt when a 53-year-old South Korean tourist who was walking on the resort beach shore was fatally shot by a North Korean resort guard.
An executive from Ananti said the company has made its decision to wrap up its business on Mt. Kumgang to concentrate on its other projects, shelving nearly $340 million worth of constructed resort facilities in the area.
Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un who officially opened the capital's luxurious residential district on Wednesday has awarded his elite supporters with multi-story homes located in the newly inaugurated Pothong Riverside Terraced Residential District in downtown Pyongyang. Kim's top propaganda official Jo Yong Won said during the opening ceremony on Wednesday, “Before anybody else, those who support the Party and the state with their diligent efforts should enjoy the best civilization.”
This was a clear reflection of the party's official reward policy of bestowing luxuries on those who sacrifice and work their best to please the supreme leader.
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