The government on Friday suspended tourism to North Korea's Mount Geumgang after a South Korean tourist at the resort was shot dead by a North Korean soldier earlier in the day.

Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun announced in a news briefing that Seoul will shelve the program starting Saturday until a probe into the incident is completed, adding that the government will take necessary measures based on the result of the inquiry.

He said tourists who are still at Mt. Geumgang will be allowed to finish out their tour of the resort before returning home to South Korea.

Expressing regret over the incident, the official hoped that North Korea will cooperate with the investigation.

The 53-year-old South Korean woman was shot to death by a North Korean soldier at around 4:30 a.m. Friday after crossing into a restricted North Korean military zone.

According to the ministry, she was taking a stroll at a beach near the Mount Geumgang resort when the incident took place.