North Korea Pulls Out 'Geumgangsan Tourism' Card... Turning Back to Inter-Korean Cooperation (Comprehensive)

North Korea's Premier Kim Tok Hun Inspects Mount Kumgang Tourist Zone
Surprise Visit Amid COVID-19 Prevention and 80-Day Battle
Possible Shift in External Strategy After 8th Party Congress
"Opportunity for Inter-Korean Dialogue" vs "Difficult Due to COVID-19" Mixed Reactions

The Korean Central News Agency released photos of the autumn scenery at Cheonseondae (Heavenly Fairy Terrace), where one can see the spectacular view of Manmulsang (Ten Thousand Things) in Mount Kumgang, on November 4th. Cheonseondae is a peak with an elevation of 936 meters, and halfway up the cliff is the "Seonnyeo Hwajangho" (Fairy Makeup Lake), where legend says fairies came down to adorn themselves.

North Korea, which drove inter-Korean relations to collapse this year with actions such as the demolition of the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, has suddenly pulled out the 'Mount Kumgang Tourism' card, a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation. With expectations that a new external strategy line will be unveiled at the 8th Party Congress in January next year, attention is focused on whether North Korea will shift to a conciliatory mode toward the South starting next year.

On the 20th, North Korea's state media, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), reported that "Premier Kim Tok Hun inspected the development sites of the Mount Kumgang tourism zone."

Kim, who oversees North Korea's economy, toured areas including the Goseong Port coastal tourism zone, Haegumgang coastal park zone, and the sports and cultural zone, discussing "practical issues arising in accurately reflecting and implementing the Party's vision to develop scenic spots to meet the cultural and emotional needs of the people at the highest level in the comprehensive development plan for the Mount Kumgang tourism zone," KCNA reported.

Previously, during an inspection of Mount Kumgang on October 23 last year (based on North Korean media reports), Chairman Kim Jong Un ordered the complete removal of "unsightly South Korean facilities that are unpleasant to look at." Since then, North Korea demanded the South to fully dismantle the facilities and negotiate documents. After intermittent message exchanges, North Korea sent a notice on January 30 this year stating that the dismantling of Mount Kumgang facilities would be postponed temporarily to prevent the spread of COVID-19, leading to a complete halt in negotiations.

North Korean Premier Kim Tok Hun inspected the development project site of the Kumgangsan tourism zone, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 20th.

North Korea, which has been focusing on internal affairs such as COVID-19 prevention and typhoon damage recovery, has suddenly brought up the issue of developing the Mount Kumgang tourism zone. There are speculations that the development of the Mount Kumgang tourism zone could be actively pursued according to the new five-year national economic development plan to be announced at the 8th Party Congress in January next year.

Professor Lim Eul-chul of the Far East Institute at Gyeongnam National University evaluated that "Premier Kim Tok Hun's on-site inspection of Mount Kumgang is somewhat unexpected," adding, "North Korea might be preparing for the post-COVID-19 era in its own way."

He said, "If COVID-19 enters a phase of ending in 2021, the most urgent task for North Korea would be securing foreign currency through tourism opening," and added, "To independently develop the Mount Kumgang area in earnest, completely refurbishing and dismantling the outdated South Korean facilities is a prerequisite, so it seems likely that North Korea will attempt to re-engage with the South."

Senior Research Fellow Lee Soo-seok of the Institute for National Security Strategy analyzed in a report released on the 15th that "North Korea's need for South Korean support has increased as external aid channels have been blocked due to COVID-19," and predicted a high possibility of North Korea shifting its inter-Korean strategy to a conciliatory tone around the 9th Party Congress.

The report foresaw that "(North Korea) will focus on improving inter-Korean relations before the Biden administration in the U.S. is fully formed, using inter-Korean relations as a 'stepping stone' toward North Korea-U.S. dialogue," and especially predicted that if Chinese President Xi Jinping visits South Korea after the COVID-19 situation eases, North Korea might use this opportunity to promote inter-Korean relations improvement.

However, given that the end of COVID-19 remains uncertain, there are also views that Mount Kumgang tourism and inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation will be difficult to materialize in the short term.

Jung Sung-jang, a research fellow at the Wilson Center and senior research fellow at the Sejong Institute, said, "With this year's flood recovery work completed and the development of Samjiyon City to attract Chinese tourists nearly finished, it is expected that from next year, soldiers and construction workers will be intensively deployed to develop the Mount Kumgang tourism zone," but added, "It will take more than a year to see tangible results."

He predicted, "It will take much longer to vaccinate North Korean residents against COVID-19 than in South Korea, so it will be difficult to restore inter-Korean exchanges within the current South Korean government's term." He also forecasted, "North Korea will promote the development of the Mount Kumgang tourism zone over several years, expecting to attract Chinese tourists and expand tourism exchanges after the next South Korean government takes office and after the COVID-19 outbreak subsides."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.