Nearly eight out of ten North Korea experts say that tours to Mt. Geumgang must continue, even if the North's nuclear standoff worsens.

Director Park Jong-cheol of the inter-Korean relations department of the Korea Institute of National Unification conducted a survey on 300 politicians, journalists and civic group leaders with expertise in North Korean issues.

77 percent of those polled agreed that tours to the North Korean mountain resort should continue regardless of any deterioration in the nuclear impasse, while 80 percent said that business at the Gaesong Industrial Complex should go on despite potential nuclear-related strife.

Meanwhile, 67 percent viewed North Korea as a negotiating partner while 20 percent considered it a country that needs South Korean support. Ten percent characterized it as a state that South Korea should be wary of.