A group of South Korean workers visited the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday to prepare the reunion of war-separated Korean families scheduled for August, Seoul's unification ministry said.
The group, composed of 22 government officials, workers and those from the Red Cross and Hyundai Asan, crossed the military demarcation line (MDL), which divides the two Koreas, in the east region into the DPRK's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang at about 9 a.m. local time (0000 GMT).
They would repair the dialogue venue in Mount Kumgang in the DPRK's eastern coast. The Hyundai Asan had run facilities in the inter-Korean tourism project, which was launched in 1998, but had been suspended since a South Korean female tourist was shot dead in July 2008 by a DPRK solider after allegedly venturing into an off-limit area.
The repair work would continue to prepare the reunion of Korean families separated since the 1950-53 Korean War. As the war ended with armistice, families of the Koreas have been banned from contacting and visiting each other.
Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to hold the humanitarian event on Aug. 20-26 as part of efforts to increase exchange and cooperation between the two sides.
The two Koreas held working-level talks on railway, road and forestry in late June and earlier this month, agreeing to start joint study and investigation on the issues.
South Korea's male and female basketball teams visited Pyongyang last week for friendly matches with DPRK players.
