Backgrounder: Hyundai's projects with DPRK

PYONGYANG, Aug. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed to resume the tourism of Mt. Kumgang and Kaesong and reopen border and family reunions in a joint press release with Hyundai Group of South Korea on Monday.

The Kumgang Mountain tourism project and the industrial complexin Kaesong are among the conspicuous inter-Korean economic cooperation projects agreed on at the unprecedented inter-Korean summit in 2000 between then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and DPRK leader Kim Jong Il.

The park is located in the DPRK city of Kaesong about 70 km (45miles) northwest of Seoul. A new highway and a restored rail link run through the Demilitarised Zone border taking materials from the South and finished products from the North.

Kaesong is the first cooperative manufacturing venture where South Korean firms use DPRK labor. It is run by Hyundai Asan, part of the Hyundai Group, along with Korea Land Corp.

The east coast resort in Mt. Kumgang, the most visible symbol of reconciliation between two nations still technically at war, was developed by Hyundai Asan and opened in 1998. The resort, which has hiking trails, a golf course, a spa and a beach, also has been used for reunions of Korean families divided by the demilitarized zone between the two countries. Since then nearly 2 million tourists, mainly South Koreans, have visited Mount Kumgang.

The South suspended tourist trips to Kumgang immediately after the shooting of a housewife who strayed into a restricted military area last summer. It says such visits will not resume until it has firm safety guarantees.