21 years ago on this November 18th, a deluxe cruise ship departed from the South Korean port of Donghae and set sail for the first cruise to Mount Geumgang in North Korea.<br />It was the first people-to-people exchange between the two Koreas after more than 50 years of separation.<br />The program, however, got suspended in 2008 after a North Korean soldier shot dead a South Korean tourist who had unknowingly wandered into a military area.<br />Once regarded as a symbol of reconciliation between the Koreas: our correspondent in charge of North Korean affairs, Oh Jung-hee takes us through the 21 years of ups and downs.<br />Located along the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, Mount Geumgang is a celebrated mountain for the Korean nation, recognized for its long history and dazzling natural beauty.<br />But because Korea was divided after the Korean War and the mountain was located north of the border, South Korean citizens couldn't visit.<br />But, in 1998, things changed.<br />Chung Ju-yung, the founder of South Korea's Hyundai Group, went to North Korea and signed an agreement with North Korea's Asia Pacific Peace Committee to develop the Mount Geumgang area and run a tour program.<br />Chung taking 500 heads of cattle north of the border is a well-known episode in modern Korean history.<br />Later that year, on November 18th, South Korean tours to Mount Geumgang officially began.<br />It marked a historic start with a cruise ship named Geumgang carrying over 800 South Koreans to the mountain via sea.<br />In 2002, Mount Geumgang resort became the venue for the reunions of South and North Korean families separated by the Korean War...<br />and travelling to the site by land route was enabled in 2003.<br />But in 2008, a South Korean tourist was shot dead by a North Korean soldier, prompting Seoul to immediately stop the tours.<br />In 2010, North Korea froze South Korea's assets there,...<br />and cancelled Hyundai Group's exclusive business rights.<br />Mount Geumgang tours were a symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.<br />Before the tours were halted, 200 to 300 thousand South Koreans visited the mountain annually... and the total number of South Korean visitors since 1998 reached almost 2 million.<br />Seoul says... the mountain itself holds significance not only as a tourist area, but also as a place where war-torn families meet and social exchanges happen.<br />At their summit in Pyeongyang in September last year, the leaders of the two Koreas agreed to normalize Mount Geumgang tours as conditions are met.<br />And through his New Year's Address this year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said... he was willing to resume the tours without any precondition or price.<br />But despite the strong will, restarting the inter-Korean tour project has not been easy.<br />In terms of sanctions.<br />The tours themselves do not violate the sanctions,<br />but the transfer of "bulk cash" to the regime which is highly probable once tours resume is strictly banned under UN resolutions.<br />Now, since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the removal of South Korean faciliti
