SEOUL, March 19 (Xinhua) -- South Korea called once again on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to engage in dialogue on cross-border tours, a day after the DPRK threatened to confiscate the South Korea's real estate inside the resort area of Mt. Kumgang, one of the destinations of the suspended tours.
"North Korea (DPRK) should abide by all inter-Korean agreements, and all pending issues between the two Korea must be resolved through dialogue," Seoul's Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae- sung told reporters in a briefing.
"We express our deep regret over the announcement, which not only violates agreements between business operators in both the South and the North but also runs counter to international conventions," he added.
The reiteration follows Pyongyang's announcement late Thursday that it would look into assets held by South Korean firms in the resort area, which local media previously said would amount to 360 billion won (31 million U.S. dollars), and find a "new business partner" if Seoul refuses to reopen the tour by April.
Chun said the government would respect business operators in deciding what they would do in response to the DPRK's investigation.
