GOV’T ON NORTH’S DISMANTLEMENT OF HOTEL

[Anchor Lead]

North Korea is reportedly tearing down the Hotel Haegumgang in the Mount Kumgang area. Satellite photos have been released, showing a big hole on the roof. The South Korean government stressed that demolishing the hotel, which belongs to a South Korean company, requires bilateral discussion.

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The Voice of America released these private satellite images taken of the Hotel Haegumgang in the Mount Kumgang region. Compared to the images from March 5th, the photos taken on March 9th and the 15th shows that the hotel roof has become darker. The VOA reported that the roof has been peeled back to reveal the interior and the hotel is being taken down rapidly. A demolition seems to be in full swing, judging from the heavy equipment and building materials seen nearby. Intelligence authorities have confirmed these signs of demolition as well. The Hotel Haegumgang had been operated by Hyundai Asan before a South Korean tourist was shot and killed in 2008. It subsequently led to the tour's suspension and hotel's closure. In 2019, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had ordered all South Korean-built facilities to be taken down when he was inspecting the area. Since then the two sides have been exchanging ideas about demolishing the hotel. But two years ago when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, Pyongyang notified Seoul of postponing the demolition. It may not be possible to use the floating steel-frame hotel again after it has been left unattended for so long, but Hyundai Asan still retains its ownership. The Ministry of Unification, which oversees the matter, remains cautious. The North Korean regime had been saying that it will discuss the issue before taking the building down. However, the unification ministry believes that it is too premature to regard it as a unilateral demolition since North Korea has little to gain from razing the hotel on its own and Pyongyang hasn’t given any notification to Seoul when it could still foist the demolition work and cost on South Korea. It is still debatable what the recent activities around the hotel actually demonstrates, but the Ministry of Unification maintains that North Korea’s unilateral demolition violates the property rights of a South Korean company and requires inter-Korean discussion.