A South Korean official posted to a construction site in North Korea has been expelled by local authorities.

A Unification Ministry official said the communist state told an official from the South’s Public Procurement Service to leave the construction site for the Mount Geumgan family reunion center. The expelled official had worked there as a site supervisor.

Every two weeks, the Public Procurement Service shifts one staff member at the construction site. A work shift was initially planned on Friday. However, North Korean authorities reportedly plan to prohibit the procurement agency from completing the shift.

The Unification Ministry official said the North’s recent move is in line with its announcement last week that it will not allow South Korean government officials to cross the military demarcation line.

The North issued the warning in protest of remarks by new Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Kim Tae-young. Responding to a question during his confirmation hearing last month, Kim said it's important to strike presumed nuclear sites in North Korea if it is preparing a nuclear attack on the South.

Despite the expulsion, construction work at the family reunion center led by the South Korean firm Hyundai Asan continues to proceed smoothly. It's expected to be completed by July as planned.

The North’s recent move also comes two weeks after it expelled eleven South Korean officials from the Gaesong Industrial Complex. The expulsions came after Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong said expanding the industrial complex would be difficult without resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.