Seoul, Dec 21 (IANS): North Korean Premier Kim Tok-hun visited the Mount Kumgang region on the country's eastern coast to learn about its development, and called for building a modern and all-inclusive international tourist area "our own way", a state media report said.
In the report on Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Kim toured the Kosong Port coastal tourist area, Haegumgang coastal park area, sports and cultural area, and discussed technical matters concerning the development of the Mount Kumgang tourist area, and carrying them out.
He called for pushing ahead with the development project of turning Mount Kumgang area into modern and all-inclusive international tourist and cultural area under yearly and phased plans and thoroughly maintaining the principle of conveniences and architectural beauty first in the construction so that people can fully enjoy natural beauty, Xinhua news agency quoted the KCNA report as saying.
Kim also stressed the need to build the tourist area with national character and modernity in good harmony with the natural scenery of the diamond mountain so as to turn the famous mountain of the nation into the one well-known for serving the people, it added.
Launched in 1998, the Mount Kumgang tour program was regarded as a major inter-Korean cooperative project until it was suspended in 2008 after a female tourist was shot to death by a North Korean guard.
In 2018, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un agreed to resume the Mount Kumgang tour program as soon as conditions are met.
But a year later, Kim Jong-un visited Mount Kumgang and ordered the removal of South Korean-built "shabby" facilities in the area in an agreement with the relevant unit of the Seoul side.
In response to the KCNA report, South Korea's Unification Ministry said that the "South and the North share a consensus with each other on the need to resolve the pending issue regarding the Mount Kumgang region and develop it as an international tourist spot", Yonhap News Agency reported.
South Korea hopes for a "meeting and consultations at an appropriate time in consideration of situations, including the coronavirus", the Ministry added.