Wonsan - Mount Kumgang
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Aina
05 September 2014 | Noord-Korea, Kŭmgang-ni
Na het ontbijt gingen we zowaar een wandeling maken. Ik dacht een wandeling door de stad, maar nee, een wandeling over de pier Jangdok Jetty naar de vuurtoren. In feite was dit een schijn vrijheid, want we konden natuurlijk geen kant op. Op de pier waren veel locals aan het vissen en de gidsen bleven maar tegen ons zeggen dat we geen foto's van hen mochten maken. Na dit ‘uitje’ gingen we weer over naar het 'hop-on hop-off bus principe'. In Wonsan hebben we een kunstgalerij, het Kaeson plein, standbeelden van de Grote Leiders en de boot Mangyongbong 92 (1) bekeken die tot 1992 passagiers van en naar Japan bracht. Vervolgens naar een voormalig treinstation, Wonsan Station Revolutionary Site (2). Dit station werd door ons bezocht omdat de Grote Leider hier 2 dagen in een guesthouse had verbleven en vervolgens met de trein naar Pyongyang was gegaan. Hierna was het tijd om een landbouwcoöperatie te bezoeken waar we alleen de mooie gebouwen en vooral geen landarbeiders te zien kregen. De kindjes in de crèche van de coöperatie droegen hun mooiste kleertjes en gingen ‘spontaan’ voor ons zingen en dansen. Ook deze coöperatie was door de Grote Leider meerdere keren bezocht. Ik heb tijdens mijn verre reizen eigenlijk nooit echt heimwee naar het Nederland, maar ik denk dat het deze reis toch echt gaat gebeuren. De staatsgidsen slepen ons de hele dag naar locaties waar de Grote Leider ook geweest is en ik denk er het mijne van. Na een kleine 2 uur met de bus te hebben gereden hebben we geluncht aan zee, maar het strandhuis heette 'resting place of Sijung lake'. Aan de andere kant van de weg en het spoor lag namelijk het Sijung meer. Tijdens het laatste stuk van de rit naar Mount Kumgang (3) werd het landschap steeds bergachtiger, wat mooi was om te zien. Na 2 checkpoints te zijn gepasseerd kwamen we aan bij hotel Oekumgang. Na het inchecken zijn we nog kort bij het Samyl meer geweest wat erg mooi tussen de bergen was gelegen. Het laatste 'agendapunt' voor vandaag was het avondeten, welke we hebben genuttigd restaurant Sujongbong. Gisteren was de serveerster nog zo aardig om te wachten met de karaoke totdat we uitgegeten waren, vandaag echter niet. De dames, 4 in totaal, begonnen tijdens het eten al te zingen, wat een gehoorbeschadiging opleverde. De boxen waren kennelijk eerder al opgeblazen, maar het volume bleef op 20 staan. Ook een gevalletje plaatsvervangende schaamte kwam om de hoek kijken, toen een groot gedeelte van de groep de polonaise ging doen met de Koreaanse serveersters. Ik was blij dat iedereen redelijk snel uitgegeten was, zodat we terug konden naar het hotel, ook nu mag je niet in je eentje terug lopen, je moet alles met de groep (en de staatsgidsen) doen.
1) The Mangyongbong-92, named after a hill near Pyongyang, is a passenger ferry built in 1992 to celebrate the North Korean leader, Kim Il Sung's 80th birthday. The ferry was built with funds from Chongryon, the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan. It is the only direct connection between North Korea and Japan. The ferry makes 20 to 30 trips per annum between Niigata, Japan and Wonsan, North Korea. A typical journey lasts about 28 hours. It is mainly used by Zainichi Koreans visiting relatives in North Korea, and for school trips by Korean schools in Japan. In 2003, the ferry became an object of suspicion in Japan, with allegations that it was being used to transport North Korea's missile parts, made by a North Korean defector to a US Senate committee. The allegations were denied by So Chung-on, the head of Chongryon's foreign affairs bureau, and so far remain unsubstantiated. On July 5, 2006, Japan banned the ferry from entry because North Korea test-fired Taepodong-2 missiles which fell into the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea according to the North Korean government). That same year, a North Korean defector testified before the United States Senate saying that 90% of the parts North Korea was using to assemble this missile was transferred from Japan via the Mangyongong-92.
2) This reconstruction of the city’s old Japanese-built railway station and Tongyang (Orient) guesthouse is where Kim Il Sung stayed over 18-20 September 1945, as on his way to liberate Pyongyang he stopped off to meet local guerilla leaders and dicuss ‘the three tasks of building the Party, the state and the army’, as KCNA put it. The guesthouse and station hall, flattened during the Korean War, were rebuilt in 1975. What survived were the Japanese-built steam train and the Korean-built carriage that took him to Pyongyang.
3) Kŭmgangsan is a 1,638-metre high mountain in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is about 50 kilometres from the South Korean city of Sokcho in Gangwon-do. It is one of the best-known mountains in North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province. Mount Kumgang is part of the Taebaek mountain range which runs along the east of the Korean peninsula. The name means Vajra (or Diamond) Mountain. Mount Kumgang has been known for its scenic beauty since ancient times and is the subject of many different works of art. Including its spring name, Kŭmgang, it has many different names for each season, but it is most widely known today in the Korean language as Kŭmgangsan. In summer it is called Pongraesan (the place where a Spirit dwells); in autumn, Phung'aksan (hill of colored leaves, or great mountain of colored leaves); in winter, Kaegolsan (stone bone mountain). Since 1998, South Korean tourists have been allowed to visit Mount Kumgang, initially travelling by cruise ship, but more commonly of late by coach. In 2002, the area around the mountain was separated from Kangwŏn Province and organized as a separately-administered Tourist Region. The land route was opened in 2003. A rail link exists on the North Korean side up to the border, but no tracks are laid between Gangneung and the border in South Korea. In 1998, there were 15,500 tourists in November and December, in 1999 there were 148,000, and in 2000 213,000. In 2001 tourist numbers dropped to 58,000 amidst disagreements over the access over land. As of 2002, almost 500,000 have visited the Mount Kumgang Tourist Region. Tourist numbers have since established themselves at about 240,000 a year. In June 2005, Hyundai Asan announced the 1 millionth South Korean visit to the area. The Mount Kumgang Tourist Region is thought to be one way for the North Korean government to receive hard currency from abroad. Therefore the official currency of the tour is neither the South Korean won nor the North Korean won, but the US dollar. Since 2003, food and services to South Korean tourists are provided by some North Koreans. But most of the staff in the hotels are Chinese citizens of Korean heritage with Korean language skills. The area is developed by Hyundai Asan, which plans to expand the site with a proper ski resort to complement the current sleigh course, and complete golf courses. Many plans for expansion, however, are in their earliest stages. On the morning of July 11, 2008, a 53-year-old South-Korean tourist was shot and killed while walking on the resort's beach. Wang-ja entered a military area by crossing over a sand dune and was shot twice by North Korean soldiers. North Korea claimed that sentries had no choice but to shoot her because, despite their order to stop, she fled. South Korea demanded an on-the-spot survey, but North Korea declined it, claiming all the facts were clear and all responsibilities were the victim's and South Korea's. Due to the shooting, South Korea temporarily suspended all trips to Mount Kumgang. In March 2010, the DPRK government warned of "extraordinary measures" if the tourism ban were not lifted. On April 23, 2010, the North Korean government seized 5 properties owned by South Korea at the resort, saying that it was done "in compensation for the damage the North side suffered due to the suspension of the tour for a long period." In seizing the properties, North Korea also alluded to the Baengnyeong incident, showing displeasure with South Korea blaming North Korea for the sinking of the ship. Since April 2010, North Korea is now permitting companies to run tours from the North Korean side, making it appear increasingly unlikely that tours will be resumed from the South. However, on October 1, 2010, news reports said, "Red Cross officials from the two Koreas agreed Friday to hold reunions for families separated by the Korean War amid mixed signals from North Korea on easing tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship. One hundred families from each country will attend the meetings from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 at a hotel and reunion center at the North's scenic Diamond Mountain resort, Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said. As of September 2011 North Korea have begun operating cruises directly from Rason in north-eastern North Korea, to the port in Mount Kumgang, offering visitors the chance to stay in the resorts previously run by the south. Although they are aimed primarily at Chinese guests, western companies are also offering the tours .
1) The Mangyongbong-92, named after a hill near Pyongyang, is a passenger ferry built in 1992 to celebrate the North Korean leader, Kim Il Sung's 80th birthday. The ferry was built with funds from Chongryon, the pro-Pyongyang General Association of Korean Residents in Japan. It is the only direct connection between North Korea and Japan. The ferry makes 20 to 30 trips per annum between Niigata, Japan and Wonsan, North Korea. A typical journey lasts about 28 hours. It is mainly used by Zainichi Koreans visiting relatives in North Korea, and for school trips by Korean schools in Japan. In 2003, the ferry became an object of suspicion in Japan, with allegations that it was being used to transport North Korea's missile parts, made by a North Korean defector to a US Senate committee. The allegations were denied by So Chung-on, the head of Chongryon's foreign affairs bureau, and so far remain unsubstantiated. On July 5, 2006, Japan banned the ferry from entry because North Korea test-fired Taepodong-2 missiles which fell into the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea according to the North Korean government). That same year, a North Korean defector testified before the United States Senate saying that 90% of the parts North Korea was using to assemble this missile was transferred from Japan via the Mangyongong-92.
2) This reconstruction of the city’s old Japanese-built railway station and Tongyang (Orient) guesthouse is where Kim Il Sung stayed over 18-20 September 1945, as on his way to liberate Pyongyang he stopped off to meet local guerilla leaders and dicuss ‘the three tasks of building the Party, the state and the army’, as KCNA put it. The guesthouse and station hall, flattened during the Korean War, were rebuilt in 1975. What survived were the Japanese-built steam train and the Korean-built carriage that took him to Pyongyang.
3) Kŭmgangsan is a 1,638-metre high mountain in Kangwon-do, North Korea. It is about 50 kilometres from the South Korean city of Sokcho in Gangwon-do. It is one of the best-known mountains in North Korea. It is located on the east coast of the country, in Mount Kumgang Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province. Mount Kumgang is part of the Taebaek mountain range which runs along the east of the Korean peninsula. The name means Vajra (or Diamond) Mountain. Mount Kumgang has been known for its scenic beauty since ancient times and is the subject of many different works of art. Including its spring name, Kŭmgang, it has many different names for each season, but it is most widely known today in the Korean language as Kŭmgangsan. In summer it is called Pongraesan (the place where a Spirit dwells); in autumn, Phung'aksan (hill of colored leaves, or great mountain of colored leaves); in winter, Kaegolsan (stone bone mountain). Since 1998, South Korean tourists have been allowed to visit Mount Kumgang, initially travelling by cruise ship, but more commonly of late by coach. In 2002, the area around the mountain was separated from Kangwŏn Province and organized as a separately-administered Tourist Region. The land route was opened in 2003. A rail link exists on the North Korean side up to the border, but no tracks are laid between Gangneung and the border in South Korea. In 1998, there were 15,500 tourists in November and December, in 1999 there were 148,000, and in 2000 213,000. In 2001 tourist numbers dropped to 58,000 amidst disagreements over the access over land. As of 2002, almost 500,000 have visited the Mount Kumgang Tourist Region. Tourist numbers have since established themselves at about 240,000 a year. In June 2005, Hyundai Asan announced the 1 millionth South Korean visit to the area. The Mount Kumgang Tourist Region is thought to be one way for the North Korean government to receive hard currency from abroad. Therefore the official currency of the tour is neither the South Korean won nor the North Korean won, but the US dollar. Since 2003, food and services to South Korean tourists are provided by some North Koreans. But most of the staff in the hotels are Chinese citizens of Korean heritage with Korean language skills. The area is developed by Hyundai Asan, which plans to expand the site with a proper ski resort to complement the current sleigh course, and complete golf courses. Many plans for expansion, however, are in their earliest stages. On the morning of July 11, 2008, a 53-year-old South-Korean tourist was shot and killed while walking on the resort's beach. Wang-ja entered a military area by crossing over a sand dune and was shot twice by North Korean soldiers. North Korea claimed that sentries had no choice but to shoot her because, despite their order to stop, she fled. South Korea demanded an on-the-spot survey, but North Korea declined it, claiming all the facts were clear and all responsibilities were the victim's and South Korea's. Due to the shooting, South Korea temporarily suspended all trips to Mount Kumgang. In March 2010, the DPRK government warned of "extraordinary measures" if the tourism ban were not lifted. On April 23, 2010, the North Korean government seized 5 properties owned by South Korea at the resort, saying that it was done "in compensation for the damage the North side suffered due to the suspension of the tour for a long period." In seizing the properties, North Korea also alluded to the Baengnyeong incident, showing displeasure with South Korea blaming North Korea for the sinking of the ship. Since April 2010, North Korea is now permitting companies to run tours from the North Korean side, making it appear increasingly unlikely that tours will be resumed from the South. However, on October 1, 2010, news reports said, "Red Cross officials from the two Koreas agreed Friday to hold reunions for families separated by the Korean War amid mixed signals from North Korea on easing tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship. One hundred families from each country will attend the meetings from Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 at a hotel and reunion center at the North's scenic Diamond Mountain resort, Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo said. As of September 2011 North Korea have begun operating cruises directly from Rason in north-eastern North Korea, to the port in Mount Kumgang, offering visitors the chance to stay in the resorts previously run by the south. Although they are aimed primarily at Chinese guests, western companies are also offering the tours .
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Je kunt nu ook Smileys gebruiken. Via de toolbar, toetsenbord of door eerst : te typen en dan een woord bijvoorbeeld :smiley
