A government official said the government approved four officials from the Briquette Distribution Movement for Warm Korean Peninsula, an organization donating 50,000 briquettes to North Korea, for the trip to the North’s mountain area on Tuesday, which marks the 10th anniversary of the launch of Mt. Kumgang tours by Hyundai Asan.

The government has banned tours of the Mt. Kumgang area for safety reasons since the shooting incident in July.

This reintroduction of tours is viewed as a method to placate North Korea, which is elevating pressure on South Korea by shutting down all overland passages between the two Koreas and cutting telephone lines between the two branches of the Korean Red Cross.

The government official said “No policy change has been made” and “the government will continue to allow humanitarian aid groups to visit North Korea.”

(englishnews@chosun.com )