The Republic of Korea (ROK) on October 28 offered to hold working-level talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to discuss issues on the DPRK's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang.

Mount Kumgang is the first major inter-Korean cooperation project, and thousands of ROKoreans visited the Seoul-funded resort between 1998 and 2008.

Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Lee Sang-min told in a press briefing that the government and Hyundai Asan Corp., which participated in the inter-Korean tour project, sent notices earlier in the day to the DPRK's counterparts through the inter-Korean liaison office in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong.

With the notices, the ROK side proposed working-level talks with the DPRK to discuss issues on the halted tour by ROKoreans to the Mount Kumgang resort, including the issues raised by the DPRK side.

Through the notice delivered to ROK on October 25, the DPRK offered to discuss the removal of ROK-built facilities in Mount Kumgang using the exchange of letters, not face-to-face talks.

The DPRK said in the notice that it would build and launch its own tour project in Mount Kumgang.

The tour by ROKoreans to Mount Kumgang, launched in 1998, has been suspended since a ROK female tourist was shot dead in 2008 by a DPRK soldier after allegedly venturing into off-limit areas.

The DPRK's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported on October 23 that the Chairman of DPRK Kim Jong Un said he would welcome the ROK compatriots at any time if they want to come to Mount Kumgang.

Kim ordered the removal of ROK-built facilities in Mount Kumgang in an agreement with the relevant unit of the ROK side.

                                                                    Source: NDO

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