Seoul, The South Korean Unification Ministry is initiating discussions with the U.N. Command to restart the suspended tour program at Panmunjom, the inter-Korean truce village.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the tour program has been on hold since an incident in mid-July when Pvt. Travis King, an American soldier, made an unauthorized entry into North Korea from the Joint Security Area in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) during a tour. Following his expulsion from the North in late September, the ministry carried out inspections at Panmunjom to ensure the safety and readiness for the tour's resumption.
The official indicated that the ministry intends to deliberate on a timetable to reinstate the tour program in collaboration with the U.N. Command, responsible for enforcing the armistice agreement that concluded hostilities during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.