Hyun Jeong-eun 추진 for 'Geumgangsan North Korea Visit'..."Resident Contact Application Stage"

In Memory of Former Chairman Jeong Mongheon on the 20th Anniversary
North Korea Closes Border... Uncertain if Invitation Will Be Sent

Hyun Jeong-eun, Chairwoman of the Hyundai Group, is confirmed to be planning a visit to North Korea around August 4th, the 20th anniversary of the passing of former Chairman Chung Mong-hun. Hyundai Asan has submitted the first step for the visit, the 'Application for Contact with North Korean Residents,' to the Ministry of Unification, but it is difficult to predict whether the visit will be realized.

According to the Ministry of Unification on the 30th, Hyun's side submitted the application for contact with North Korean residents on the 27th. If approval for contact with North Korean residents is granted, communication with the North will be necessary to receive an 'invitation letter for the visit,' and then this must be approved again by the government before the final visit can take place.

Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun of Hyundai Group (far left in the front row) meeting Kim Jong-il in 2009

It is known that Chairwoman Hyun hopes to visit North Korea with her family. In the past, Hyun's family has held memorial events at the memorial space for former Chairman Chung Mong-hun, established within the Mount Kumgang tourist area, with the most recent visit occurring in 2018 on the 15th anniversary of Chung’s passing.

However, North Korea has closed its borders for over three years since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although some trade with China has recently resumed, contact with the South is expected to remain lukewarm.

In particular, North Korea is said to have changed its attitude toward Hyun’s visit depending on inter-Korean relations in the past. Given the current ongoing tense situation, it is expected that communication to obtain the 'North Korean invitation letter' will not be easy. Additionally, following Kim Jong-un’s orders, North Korea has been dismantling South Korean facilities in the Mount Kumgang tourist area without permission since last year, leading to speculation that they may be reluctant to allow visits to the memorial facilities within Mount Kumgang.

A variable is that the applicant is 'Chairwoman Hyun.' Considering Hyundai Asan’s symbolic significance, having established deep ties with North Korea, including direct meetings with former National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il, there is a possibility that North Korea might show a surprisingly progressive attitude.

An official from the Ministry of Unification said, "It is not yet a visit application, but the stage of submitting an 'Application for Contact with North Korean Residents' to explore the possibility," and added, "We are reviewing it according to procedures."

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