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The North Korean mineral water allegedly favored by Dear Leader Kim Jong-il will soon be available in shops south of the border for local consumers to buy, after reports Monday that the first shipment has arrived in Incheon Port and was being inspected by customs officials.
The importer of North Korea's Mount Myohyang Mineral Water, which is virtually run by the North Korean Red Cross Society and favored by high ranking North Korean party officials, disclosed that the water was in the commercial pipeline and would be hitting stores here soon.
Park Jong-eun, president of Shinmyung International Co., said a trademark dispute had been resolved by a South Korean concession and the first 15 tons of the product had arrived on Dec. 31.
This is the first time North Korean mineral water has been imported after successful negotiations were conducted between the two sides, he said, expressing hope that the development would improve relations between the two Koreas.
Park visited the North in August and signed a contract with a North Korean trading firm to import the mineral water, but Pyongyang insisted on using the nation's official name, the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea," rather than "North Korea," as its trademark - thus triggering the delays.
Shinmyung International plans to use the regular shipping service between the North Korean port of Nampo and South Korean port of Incheon to import 50 tons of the mineral water a week for the time being.
The North Korean Red Cross, with support from its Norwegian counterpart, began construction on a mineral water factory in 2002, with production starting in March 2003.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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