North Korea Rejects On-Site Inspection Into Shooting Death

OOohhh! I really can't stomach N. Korea! How could they demand from the South an apology when it was the South who has lost a compatriot?
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North Korea Saturday rejected the South's demand for an on-site inspection by Seoul officials into the death of a South Korean tourist at the North's Mount Geumgang.

In a statement, the North's operator of the joint tourism program expressed regret about the death, but claimed that the South should take responsibility for the incident.

It urged Seoul to apologize for it and take steps to prevent recurrence of similar incidents.

As to the South's decision to suspend the tourism program, the North said, ``Until the South apologizes for the incident properly and take measures to prevent recurrence of similar incidents, we will not accept tourists from the South."

The government attempted to send North Korea a telegram demanding an on-site inspection by Seoul officials into the death of Park Wang-ja, 53, a resident in Nowon-gu, Seoul. But it was unable to get a clear response, the Ministry of Unification said.

Park, a housewife, was shot to death by a North Korean soldier early Friday, while taking a pre-dawn stroll on a beach near the Mount Geumgang resort.

Pyongyang claimed the woman crossed about 1.2 kilometers into a fenced-off military area, but fled back toward the hotel where she was staying when the soldier ordered her to halt for investigation, Hyundai Asan, the South's operator of the tour program, was quoted as saying by Yonhap News.

article reference

South Korean Tourist Shot Dead at Mt. Geumgang

A 53-year-old South Korean tourist to Mount Geumgang in North Korea was shot dead by a North Korean soldier, the Unification Ministry said Friday. Park Wang-ja, residing in Nowon-gu, Seoul, was shot twice in her chest and leg when running away from a military restricted zone, according to reports.
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Thing is, she was unarmed but she was shot thrice. That couldn't be any more terrible for an old lady like Ms. Park. It was reported that she fled after hearing a warning shot. But who wouldn't be scared to his wits after hearing a gun fire? That N. Korean soldier clearly doesn't know the distinction between a human being and a wild boar. I bet he grew up without a mother.

As for the South Koreans, this reader's comment from Korea Times, in my opinion, is very incisive: "Two months of violent protests over safe beef, nothing for an old lady who as executed." Is this incident not enough a reason for S. Koreans to collectively express vehemence (on this particular issue only) towards the North?

But then again, this is an outsider's perspective. The South could still be regarding the North as fellow Koreans so this incident doesn't appear to them as hostility from 'another' country.