SEOUL, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Thursday that the suspended tour by South Koreans to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s scenic resort of Mount Kumgang was not subject to international sanctions "basically".
Kang made the remarks during a press conference with local reporters in Seoul, saying individuals' tour to the Mount Kumgang resort was not basically subject to the UN Security Council sanctions.
The minister said South Koreans' tour to the DPRK's mountain resort is a matter of whether the unification ministry in charge of inter-Korean affairs would grant it or not, according to local media reports.
Her comments came a day after the DPRK's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported that top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un said he would welcome the South Korean compatriots at any time if they want to come to Mount Kumgang.
Kim ordered the removal of South Korea-built facilities in Mount Kumgang in an agreement with the relevant unit of the South Korean side.
The tour by South Koreans to Mount Kumgang has been halted since a South Korean female tourist was shot dead in 2008 by a DPRK soldier after allegedly venturing into off-limit areas.
The South Korean government adhered to preconditions for the resumed Mount Kumgang tour, including the probe to get to the bottom of the incident, the promise to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, and the adoption of measures to secure tourists' safety.
Kang told reporters that there has been no change in the government's stance toward the incident.
She said that South Korea's basic position is to pursue inter-Korean relations and dialogues under the framework of international sanctions, which are determined by the international society, not by South Korea itself.
The Mount Kumgang tour project was launched in 1998 amid the thawing inter-Korean relations under the liberal Kim Dae-jung government of South Korea and then DPRK leader Kim Jong Il, father of the current leader.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in and the DPRK leader held their third summit in Pyongyang in September last year, agreeing to restart the Mount Kumgang tour program when conditions are met.
Kim said in his New Year speech that he was ready to resume the inter-Korean tour project without preconditions.
Meanwhile, the South Korean foreign minister said in a separate ceremony to mark the 74th anniversary of the UN establishment that turning the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) into a peace zone through the participation of the global community will guarantee security for both Koreas, solidify the foundation of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and contribute to peace and stability in Northeast Asia.
During the UN speech in September, Moon offered to the international community transforming the DMZ into an international peace zone, and eventually working together with the DPRK to register the DMZ as a the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) World Heritage site once peace is settled between the two Koreas.
The DMZ, which stretches about 250 km from east to west and 4km from north to south, has divided the peninsula since the 1950-53 Korean War ended with armistice that left the peninsula in a technical state of war.
Kang said support from the UN and the international community played a decisive role to advance dialogues on the peninsula, noting that the support will play an essential role to make the vision of the peninsula's lasting peace come true.
