The South Korean government has refused a
request from the Korea Rescue Association to enter North Korea to assist with
issues arising from the May collapse of an apartment block in Pyongyang.
Rejecting the application, an official from
the Ministry Unification stated on July 10th, “Nearly two months have elapsed
since the accident, and there is already new construction underway at the
site.” Therefore, “Given the situation at this time, we adjudge that applying
to visit the North for the purpose of rescue or to clear the site is
unreasonable and are denying the request.”
Daily NK reported on July 7th
that the Ministry would review the situation and make a decision about the
request, which came from an organization called the “General Bureau of Red Star
Construction” on June 9th.
Aside from the timing of the request, the
Ministry of Unification is also suspicious about the nature of the construction
group, given that it has never made a request for assistance or issued
invitations to prospective South Korean visitors before.
