Near the site of the shooting
The recent shooting of a South Korean tourist by North Korean security in the popular tourist destination of Mt. Geumgang, just north of the DMZ has sparked heated discussion on the Korean blogosphere. Today’s Korea Times is reporting that North Korea is refusing to allow an on-site investigation into the killing. Below is a sampling of netizen’s reactions:
Ssangduknip wrote on Naver that after having seen the movie “The Crossing,” which depicts the experiences of a North Korean father who flees the North in search of medicine for his ailing wife, “I was shocked at how little I knew of North Korea, even though it is just an hour away.”
He continues, “South Korea has for years provided aid to the North, and yet we are constantly having to beg the North Korean government for reciprocity.” On the killing of the South Korean woman, he wonders “If the tourist had been Chinese, would North Korean security have shot?” A common sentiment here, where many feel South Korea is often sidelined by all parties involved. This explains, in part perhaps, why there is such indifference towards the North among many South Koreans.
A post on the blog site for Hankyoreh News: “The shooting at Geumgang resort should not be viewed as a political issue. South Koreans need to be patient, and realize what happened was ultimately an unfortunate accident.”
The writer then goes on to compare what happened in NK to the 2002 death of two South Korean schoolgirls who were run over by US military vehicles. That incident resulted in widespread protests and candle light vigils, as well as an upswing in anti-American sentiment. “Please do not turn out to protest this shooting,” the post urges. “The North Korean soldier was simply doing what he was ordered to do.”
Again, on Naver, one blogger writes: “The shooting at Geumgang occurred at 5am, yet the government [here in South Korea] didn’t release the information until four in the afternoon.” He continues, “All the media here has gone after the government for their late response in dealing with this tragic incident.”
In their defense, state officials said during a press briefing the late response was due to the fact that the shooting occurred during, get this, “their lunch break.”
In reference to continuing South Korean tourism to the Geumgang resort, he writes, “When there’s a case of contaminated food, or unsafe products, a recall is done immediately, and all purchases are halted until the problem is solved. Why did Hyundai, after discovering the shooting, continue with the program?”
Update: This is crazy! Apparently, the NK government is now demanding an apology from SK for the killing.
This from Associated Press: “The responsibility for the incident entirely rests with the South side,” the [North Korean] bureau said in the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.
The statement called for Seoul to apologize and take measures to prevent it from happening again.
Filed under: North Korea, Politics, media | Tagged: Geumgang, Korea, netizens, North Korea
