South Korea will reopen the southern part of Panmunjom to the public on May 1 following an almost seven-month-long closure, the country's Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced on Monday.

In a statement following months of stalled talks between the two Koreas and the United Nations Command (UNC) over plans for the free movement of visitors within the Joint Security Area (JSA) and other logistical issues, the MND said the tours would go ahead.