GIN have requested a temporary change in the rules to the new CCC regulations for Cat 1 paragliding comps because their factory in North Korea has been closed down.
In a notice issued on 7 March 2016, CIVL said that GIN, which make the Boomerang 10 comp wing, had asked for an exemption to the mandatory weight range for CCC gliders. This rule was recently adopted and is designed to ensure that several sizes of a competition wing are produced and are available for pilots to buy.
After consulting with “other CCC manufacturers” the new CCC requirements for Cat 1 paragliding competitions have been suspended until 1 October 2016. Although not named by CIVL, the only other two manufacturers involved in making CCC wings are Niviuk and Ozone.
GIN, which is based in South Korea, have had a manufacturing plant in North Korea for a decade. However, increasing political tension between the two countries saw the North Korean GIN factory abruptly closed down last month.
The result is that it is now “impossible” for GIN to make their CCC glider in all sizes in time for the Paragliding European Championships in Macedonia in August.
Gin Seok Song, who founded GIN Gliders in 1999, has spoken before about his commitment to a unified Korea. His decision to base his manufacturing plant in the Kaesong Industrial Complex, which is just over the border in North Korea, rather than say, China or elsewhere in the Far East, was based on that commitment.
Last month he told BBC Asia that when he moved the GIN factory to North Korea 10 years ago, workers were under-nourished and had limited access to hot water. He introduced free meals, shows and other facilities to help improve their physical health.
CIVL’s statement is here.
