Gift Exchange

[Anchor Lead]

The South Korean government has sent 200 tons of tangerines to North Korea to reciprocate Pyongyang for its gift of mushrooms presented to Seoul after the Pyongyang inter-Korean summit. However, some say that the gesture may have something to do with preparations for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Seoul.

[Pkg]

A South Korean military aircraft transported tangerines from Jeju Island to Pyongyang twice on Sunday. So far, 200 tons of South Korean tangerines have been sent to the North. Cheong Wa Dae said that it was a reciprocal gesture in response to Pyongyang's gift of mushrooms sent after the September inter-Korean summit. The presidential office added that it chose tangerines because they are rare in the North and are currently in season on Jeju Island. Jeju Island is the hometown of Kim Jong-un's maternal grandfather, while Hallasan Mountain located on the island will likely be one of his stops during his visit to South Korea. The fact that Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung participated in the delivery of the tangerines prompted some to speculate that discussions of Kim Jong-un's visit to Seoul have begun in earnest. Fueling the speculations was a recent visit to Hallasan Mountain by Jeju Special Self-governing Province Governor Won Hee-ryong to check if a helicopter can land on the mountain. However, a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said in a phone interview with KBS that the tangerines have nothing to do with discussions of Kim Jong-un's visit to South Korea. Officials from the central government and the ruling party also said it was merely a reciprocal gesture aimed at improving inter-Korean relations. Meanwhile, the Liberty Korea Party blasted the Moon administration for attempting to break sanctions against the North by sending tangerines. Cheong Wa Dae dismissed the accusation by saying that the delivery of tangerines has nothing to do with sanctions. The combined worth of the 200 tons of tangerines reaches 500 million won, similar to the market price of the mushrooms that Pyongyang had sent to Seoul back in September.