Tours to Mount Geumgangsan in North Korea... have been suspended for over a decade, after a South Korean tourist visiting the area was shot dead by a North Korean soldier.
As hope continues to rise for a revival of inter-Korean exchanges,... experts gathered in Seoul on Thursday to discuss ways get the tours going again.
Kim Da-mi went to check it out and files this report.
Experts in the field of culture and tourism gathered on Thursday... to discuss the possible resumption of tours to Mt. Geumgangsan... amid warming cross-border ties.
Hosted by the Tourism Sciences Society of Korea, a special seminar on local tourism as well as inter-Korean tourism was held,... to suss through many outstanding issues related to the long-suspended Mt. Geumgangsan tourism program.
Reflecting on the history of the tour, researcher Shin Yong-suk at the Korea Culture & Tourism Institute... said the lifting of sanctions and punitive measures against North Korea... would be the first required step in the revival process.
Next in the line of procedures - a sit-down between the two Koreas for working-level talks,... a visit to the mountain by South Korean business representatives... and a phased resumption of tours with regular monitoring.
Participants at the seminar emphasized... that Mt. Geumgangsan tours should be treated as a complete reboot,... due to the nearly decade-long suspension,... underscoring the need for a more cautious, gradual approach.
KIM Da-mi, Arirang News.