S.Korea takes cautious stance on resuming Mt. Kumgang tour in DPRK

South Korea on Monday took a more cautious stance on resuming the long-suspended inter-Korean tourism project at the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) 's Mount Kumgang, citing resolutions adopted at the UN Security Council.

Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Eui-do told a regular press briefing that if money sent to the DPRK for the Mount Kumgang tour is related to weapons of mass destruction (WMD), it will be subject to sanctions under the UN Security Council resolution.

His comments indicated that if the DPRK cannot prove the funds earned via the Mount Kumgang tourism project are not used in the WMD development or advancement, the tour will not be resumed.

The tour to Pyongyang's scenic mountain resort, launched in 1998, was halted in July 2008 when a South Korean female tourist was shot dead by a DPRK soldier for apparently venturing into an off-limit area.

Seoul and Pyongyang originally planned to talk about normalizing the suspended tourism project on Oct. 2 last year, but the DPRK unilaterally announced its decision to put off such dialogue.

At that time, South Korea demanded the DPRK guarantee the personal safety of tourists to resume the tour, not calling for money earned in the tourism project not being used in the WMD.

Kim said that the Mount Kumgang tour funds sent to the DPRK in the past were remitted through bank accounts, noting that those funds were not equivalent to"bulk cash"that is under the UN sanctions. He defined the bulk cash as money illegally remitted to Pyongyang through other channels, not through bank accounts.

The spokesman said that the funds used in the WMD will be subject to UN sanctions, noting that whether money sent to the DPRK is illegal will be determined by the UN Security Council.

Tensions escalated on the Korean Peninsula after the DPRK fired off a volley of short-range missiles and artillery shells from its newly developed multiple-rocket launcher earlier this month in an apparent protest against the joint annual military exercises between South Korea and the United States.

The"Key Resolve"command post exercise ended last week, with the "Foal Eagle" field training exercise to last until mid-April.