Who knows about "cattle diplomacy"?

"Cow Diplomacy"

Promoted South Korean cruise ship's maiden voyage to Mount Kumgang

At 5 pm on November 19, Donghae Port in eastern South Korea, 2.8 The 10,000-ton "Hyundai Kumgangsan" maritime luxury cruise ship carried more than 780 tourists and more than 200 reporters on its maiden voyage to Mount Kumgang in North Korea. This hard-won maiden voyage has a close relationship with Jung Joo-young, the founder of Hyundai Group.

83-year-old Zheng Zhouyong drove his cattle across the "38th Parallel" to visit North Korea twice this year. South Korea's news media gave this move an interesting name: "Cow Diplomacy"! Comparable

it to the "ping pong diplomacy" that opened up Sino-US relations. 70 years ago, Zheng Zhouyong took out a cow raised by his father and sold it. In exchange for a little money, he fled from North Korea to Seoul alone.

There, he relied on his ingenuity to start from nothing and develop into a world-famous modern enterprise integrating shipbuilding,

automotive industry, construction industry and electronics industry. group. Of course, he

did not forget to build a cattle farm for himself in order to return to his hometown one day and repay the "love debt" he owed to his father and hometown. "! On November 19, when the "Hyundai Kumgangsan" cruise ship

set sail, Zheng Juyong revealed to the press the "cattle diplomacy" in exchange for the maiden voyage of Kumgangsan

Insider.

Although Zheng Zhouyong visited the North twice before November this year and coordinated with North Korea's "Asia-Pacific Cooperation Council

on many occasions to jointly develop business opportunities, but There has always been little progress.

The first voyage to Mount Kumgang, originally scheduled to start in September, has been postponed time and time again. However, Hyundai Group has not lost confidence. Zheng Zhouyong decided to visit the north again in November with 501 cows. An unexpected surprise happened: General Kim Jong Il, the supreme leader of North Korea, suddenly appeared in his hotel and talked with him for a full 45 minutes! In this unexpected meeting,

General Kim Jong Il finalized the Mount Kumgang tourism cooperation project and even provided Zheng Juyong with

more business opportunities: He allowed Hyundai Group is building a hotel on the slopes of Mount Kumgang and developing a nearby hot spring. Then, General Kim Jong Il told him: "There is a lot of oil buried underground in North Korea, which can be provided to South Korea." Hyundai Group was overjoyed. The South Korean government

is also very excited. South Korean President Kim Dae-jung said: "The South Korean government is confident and patient

waiting for negotiations between the North and South governments. I believe that I will definitely meet with General Kim Jong-il during my term of office

, we will discuss in depth all issues related to the north and the south, and will find a way to solve the problems

" Kim Dae-jung said that after the tourism industry begins to cooperate, the north and the south can still enter.

Conduct religious, news and other exchanges.

The success of the maiden voyage to Mount Kumgang opened the door to trade between the north and the south of the Korean peninsula, resolved tensions between the south and the north, and eased tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea will earn US$1 billion in revenue from the Mount Kumgang tourism project in the next six years.

("Shanghai Translator" 98.12.

Compiled by Xu Bingbing on 10th)