Seoul should push to revive joint tourism projects with North Korea that shut down nearly 20 years ago, South Korea’s unification minister said Monday, endorsing a proposal to link the DPRK’s Mount Kumgang resort and its new Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area.

But Chung Dong-young’s comments appear to fly in the face of Pyongyang’s repeated rejection of all inter-Korean engagement and its repudiation of unification as a policy goal, with North Korea dismantling key ROK tourism assets in recent years.

Chung made the remarks during a meetingwith Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun, where the two discussed prospects for cross-border