. . . An eyewitness, also at the beach to see the sunrise, told local media Park passed by him and after awhile he heard two gun shots with 10-second intervals and a scream.“I heard a scream, which made me turn left, and I saw a person collapse while three (North Korean) soldiers ran out from the mountain,” Lee In-bok, a witness to the scene and also touring Mount Kumgang at the time, told YTN TV.
“Soldiers nudged the fallen person by their feet but I never thought (that person) was a tourist,” Lee added.
South Korea is conducting an investigation and looking into North Korean claims a sentry shouted at Park to halt, and fired a warning shot before killing the housewife.
I guess the witness heard everything but the North Korean sentry that North Korea claims shouted a warning.
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“South Korea is conducting an investigation and looking into North Korean claims a sentry shouted at Park to halt, and fired a warning shot before killing the housewife.”
Yup, no sentries shouting. The witness also did not mention any fences or barbed wire that the victim (yes, victim) would have stepped over.
This sounds worse and worse with every report.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
Well, how long is ‘after a while’?
You’d think the article would have provided a time for this event.
In addition, then if it’s true, no doubt the witness would have notified the tour group, which would have surely informed someone on the South Korean side before supposedly the North Koreans did at 11am or so…
#3,
Could be lying, could have been detained, or the tour group organizers could be the ones lying.
Come off it Tripod! I’ve been here 8 years and never came across a lyin’ Korean.
1) There were many South Korean tourists in that area, and the North Koreans patrolling in that area knew that.
2) The fence that marked the off limits was only half connected. The fence ended in the middle of the beach, anyone could have just walked over the border.
3) The shots were fired at 5am, at that time, the sun has already risen and it’s already a bright morning.
Here’s a picture taken another day, around similar time.
http://image.chosun.com/siteda.....5B1%5D.jpg
It’s not clear in this picture, but towards the edge of the beach towards the water, the fence ends and is connected by a sand hill. And there are no markers of any kind to warn anyone of the danger.
4) It was bright enough to see that it was a woman wearing a skirt walking along the beach. There definitely was no need for North Koreans to shoot her.
5) Last year, another tourist wandered into the off limits and he was stopped then let go without any shooting. This year, under Lee Myung Bak’s administration, it’s a different story. The Left wing Progressives are already blaming Lee Myung Bak for the worsening relationship with the North, while the US gets closer. They are claiming that both US and North Korea are shutting out South Korea, and that Lee’s NK policy is a failure. All this as Lee buckles.
6) North Korea has been caught in a lie. There’s no way that a 53 year old woman in skirts could have walked 4.8 km in half an hour. North Korea also didn’t realize that there was a South Korean witness who said there were two shots seconds apart, contradicting North Korea’s claims that there were shouts to stop and a warning shot.
7) North Korea demands an apology from South, and refuses to cooperate with an investigation. Somehow, I doubt they would have done the same last year when Roh Moo Hyun was in power, sucking on KJI’s dick.
7) North Korea demands an apology from South, and refuses to cooperate with an investigation. Somehow, I doubt they would have done the same last year when Roh Moo Hyun was in power, sucking on KJI’s dick.
CM, I think they would have done the same if Roh was president, to see him immediately and unequivocally surrender to their demands showing once again who’s in charge on the Korean Peninsula. Let’s just seriously hope Lee has a pair and demands an apology from them or the cash cow is finished.
the SK public will pounce on news of the half-finished fence as a convenient way to blame everything on Hyundai Asan.
And 2MB will buckle. Maybe we’ll have a brief suspension of aid-and-cognac-money shipments, but only until the next “natural disaster”, i.e. until the next heavy rainfall results in the usual hyperbolic claims of flood damage. Then it will be back to business as usual.
There should be candle-light demonstrations in memory of Ms. Park and to protest her murder.
Actually, some of the blame may lie with Hyundai Asan. Last year, a minister wandered into the same area and was detained. It appears that the fence is passable in low tide and thus not much of a deterrent against trespassers. If it happened once, it can happen again, and it did with fatal consequences. If Asan is going to bring tourists into North Korea, it ought to do everything it can to ensure their safety.
Actually, Sonagi, if things are as you describe, it sounds like they were extra safety-conscious by even putting a fence up halfway. Not surprising compared to the focus on personal safety everywhere else (driving, pedestrians, construction sites, mosquito-spraying trucks, etc.).
I feel sorry for her family.
Of course Koreans will blame LMB it’s what they do.
Some Korean nutizens have even gone so far as to say the whole event was orchestrated by the US and S Korean governments to divert attention away from the anti-US beef (actually anti-US) protests.
That’s what an education from SNU does for you I guess.
The initial reports said they fired a warning shot. But witness only hear two shots so was the warning shot the one in her back or the one in her hip?
On the one hand South Koreans say, “The Norks are our brothers, they mean us no harm!”
On the other hand they say, “It’s Hyundai Asan’s fault! Asan should have known those soldiers will shoot tourists!”
Incidentally, if the area really was such a vital military secret zone, the Nork military would have built their own fence, or at least forced Asan to do better then a glorified sand castle.
Alejandro, it IS hyundai asan’s fault. They knew who they were dealing with, but they failed to prevent tourists from going across. When you go to the DMZ, there is a really scary looking zombie skull warning posts telling people to stay away from the landmines. I doubt hyundai asan really put the fear of God into a bunch of happy-go-lucky vacationers.
My conspiracy theory is that DRPK shot her on purpose to sabotage the 6 party nuclear disarmament talks.
I don’t even need to hear the NK explanation. Historically they have NEVER said the truth. Seriously, if NK “scientists” say the Earth goes around the Sun I will revise all my knowledge about physics. It simply couldn’t be true.
If I were a forensic I’d investigate the body thoroughly. I wouldn’t be surprised if those sons of dogs have done something more than shooting her twice in the back. They have no restrains what-so-ever. After all, they submitted the body 6 hours later!
I can imagine what would be if Roh was a president. He would immediately write a letter of apology:
“Dear Kim,
I deeply regret the trespassing of our citizen. How dares she provoke the peace on the peninsula with her aggression! I assure you we will pay for the bullets as well as for the psychological damage it did to your brave soldiers, who only executed their duty as men of honour, shooting a helpless running old ajummah at the back twice.
Don’t worry, we will shut the mouths of her father and son, so that they don’t ruin our sunshine policy! Let the people of the South hold no bad feelings about our brothers from the North!
In order to amend I’m sending another 10 million $ and a cargo of cognac. At the next summit I also promise to deep-throat you just as usual, and drink it all – I’ll try not to spit this time.
Please take my deepest apologies again and let’s hope this brings a long-standing peace to the peninsula! Yay!
PS: saranghaeyo!~ me love you long taim!~
President Roh”
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