The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) wants the Republic ofKorea (RoK) to send private businesses to a working-level meeting oversuspended tours to a border mountain resort, Seoul's UnificationMinistry said on July 26.

The DPRK put forwardthe condition in response to RoK’s proposal for a discussion on tourismissues at the Mount Geumgang resort.

In amessage sent to the Seoul on July 26, Pyongyang said that it onlyaccepts the proposal if Seoul brings representatives of privatecompanies who own properties at the resort to the talks, the ministrysaid in a press release.

Pyongyang addedthat it will unilaterally dispose the other side’s properties at theresort in accordance with its relevant laws if RoK businesses’ intendedto take the opportunity of holding the meeting to hinder negotiationsover assets problems.

Seoul 's UnificationMinistry, which oversees the inter-Korean affairs, said it is currentlydiscussing with related authorities on how to respond to the DPRK.

The two Koreas have held two rounds of talks about the RoK'sassets at the scenic resort since last June, but made no breakthrough.

At the latest negotiations held on July 13,Pyongyang set July 29 as the deadline for further dialogue with Seoulon the assets issue.

Tours to Mt. Geumgang, launched in 1998 and run by RoK's Hyundai Asan Corp., were halted in2008 briefly after an RoK female tourist was shot dead by a DPRKsoldier.

Seoul has repeatedly refused toreopen tours, saying Pyongyang failed to conduct a properinvestigation into the incident and apply safety guarantees, while thelatter said it has done enough.

The DPRKunilaterally seized RoK’s properties at the resort in 2010 and cancelledHyundai Group's exclusive rights to operate tours at Mt. Geumgangin April. It also declared to establish a special zone forinternational tours at the resort./.