S Korean opposition calls for active inter-Korean economic co-op

SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's opposition party on Tuesday appealed that the government should make efforts for more active inter-Korean economic cooperation.

The Mount Geumgang tour and the Kaesong industrial complex have been serving as showcases reflecting peace on the Korean Peninsula, said Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the opposition Democratic Party, when meeting with local business leaders.

"The government must withdraw its hard-line policy toward the North (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or DPRK) and normalize for the sake of these projects," said Cho Kun-shik, newly appointed CEO of Hyundai Asan, operator of the inter-Korean tourism projects.

The inter-Korean tourist program of Mount Geumgang, which was kicked off in 1998, was suspended by the South Korean government in July after a South Korean female tourist was shot dead by DPRK soldier when crossing into a restricted DPRK military zone. The former Hyundai Asan CEO stepped down late last month to take responsibility for the death of the South Korean tourist.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who took office late February, insists that his administration will proceed with inter-Korean cooperation projects only after the DPRK abandons its nuclear ambitions. Lee's hard-line policy towards Pyongyang has been repeatedly denounced by the DPRK while the inter-Korean ties have deteriorated in recent months