Community | August 17, 2009 | 32 comments

North Korea to reopen border with South Korea

source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/16/nkorea-to-open-border-wit_n_260714.html

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UrbanGypsy
SEOUL, South Korea (Associated Press) - North Korea agreed Monday to lift border restrictions with South Korea to allow reunions of separated families and restart stalled tourism ventures in its latest gesture of conciliation toward Seoul after nearly 18 months of rising tensions.

The North, however, said in a separate statement it was putting its army on "special alert" because of South Korea's joint military drills with the United States this week, a sign that tension between the rival countries is still running high.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch early Monday that it agreed to restart tours to the scenic Diamond Mountain resort and ancient sights in Kaesong in the North. The tours had been suspended in tensions after the inauguration of a conservative government in Seoul early last year.

The report did not say when the tours would resume.

The state news agency said the North also agreed to resume reunions of families separated by one of the world's most heavily fortified borders at Diamond Mountain before this year's annual "Chuseok" autumn harvest holiday in early October. Chuseok is one of the two biggest Korean traditional holidays celebrated in both Koreas and is equivalent to Thanksgiving in the United States.

The North said the agreement was reached with Seoul's Hyundai Group, the main South Korean investor in North Korea and followed a meeting between conglomerate Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang on Sunday.

[More at link]
  1. groups:
    Community,   Current Tonight,   Asia
  2. tags:
    News,  News and Politics,  Asia,  North Korea,  2 more
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32 comments // North Korea to reopen border with South Korea

  • Logos51891
  • mycall306
    • 0
      mycall306  

    • i wonder how north korea would be when they decide to fully open the borders for other people and investors to go in, i bet mcdonalds would open a restaurant at every village corner...

    • 2 years ago
  • cztheday
    • 0
      cztheday  

    • The North has been doing these schzophrenic little dance moves for years now. They open a little, then slam the door shut at the smallest imagined "provocation." What a dreadful little man.

    • 2 years ago
  • Nuevarine
  • jac1992
  • fdsooner
  • onemalefla
  • MilchMann
    • 0
      MilchMann  
    • onemalefla:

      Kind of odd for someone who is Juche... look it up, one of those weird religions no one has heard of before... In other words... he believes he really is a god... and there is no heaven.

    • 2 years ago
  • bailey78
  • Found_Avenue
  • jubal
  • nicopico
    • 0
      nicopico  

    • I really don't think Bill Clinton had anything to do with the reopening. The article mentions a great deal on tourism, and what does tourism bring into a country that has been closed-off-- rather, proposed a great fear to travellers-- for decades? MONEY. Toursim most definitely brings in the cheese. What is more is that judging from Kim's preceding behavior, one can only assume eccentricity; he's like a communist Nixon with really bad hair and ominously reticent.

      I'd tell you to pack your bags and get to Diamond Mountain resort asap, but I'd stay as close to the border if I were you.

    • 2 years ago
  • macfan
  • mycall306
  • EmperorThan
  • Prijedor
  • AlbeeYap
  • grantburgeiii
  • MilchMann
    • 0
      MilchMann  

    • Kim Jong Il is a widely accepted as bi-polar. This is a depressed cycle... he is slow cycling meaning 6 months to every 12 months he flips. He will be back to being Manic in 5-11 months by my observation. There are usually triggers that are the final cause the descent into the polar opposite personality, and it would appear that Clinton's visit was the trigger this time... either that or he had cycled right before Clinton arrived and they knew that... hmmm... but never fear, he will be back to waving sticks an launching missals in no time.

    • 2 years ago
  • veronaaa
  • nicopico
  • MilchMann
    • 0
      MilchMann  
    • MilchMann:

      He stopped making wild accusations and threats (incredibly manic behavior), and started being withdrawn and doing somewhat rational things and succumbing to international pressures (depressed cycle). That is an over simplification though.

      All of the good articles I would have liked to reference are from medical sites that require registrations and or subscriptions, so I am just going to suggest searching for

      charting bipolar disorder
      identifying bipolar disorder

      you may also have success substituting manic depression for bipolar, they are the same disorder, just two different names.

    • 2 years ago
  • mycall306
  • MilchMann
  • bailey78
    • 0
      bailey78  

    • they open the doors to talks so they can plot againest the U.S. Just wait a bunch of these little countries are going to get togeather and Destroy the good'ol U.S. of A. But don't take My word for it I'm just a nutjob with a computer out to terrorize the world

    • 2 years ago
  • Nettle
  • Manatee_man
  • RaceBannon
  • EmperorThan
  • resolute
  • comfy
    • 0
      comfy  

    • Wow, finally a potential peace offering between the Koreas. Even though tension is still high, at least families are finally back together and tour spots are starting to open. This is just the beginning and hopefully in the future the Military Demarcation Line will be demolished and the differences between North and South Korea won't matter. Maybe one day the will become a whole country again.

    • 2 years ago
  • MilchMann
    • 0
      MilchMann  
    • comfy:

      They were doing this previously... before little kimmy through a fit and threw all of the UN people dismanteling the enrichment facilities out. He cut all ties. North Koreans were working in South Korean factories too... this article did not say whether that would resume...

    • 2 years ago
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