South Korea seeks to crack down on unauthorized contact with North Korea, the government announced Tuesday, despite an almost complete lack of inter-Korean exchange and cooperation amid strained relations.

The unification ministry said in a briefing that it plans to bar those who violate the Inter-Korean Exchange and Cooperation Act from engaging with North Koreans for up to a year, as well as to establish a center for reporting unauthorized inter-Korean exchanges.

The proposed amendment would bar those found guilty of violating the act from engaging with North Koreans for up to a year following the completion of their sentences,