South Korea on Wednesday expressed regret over North Korea's decision to shut their border with the South and strictly control cross-border passage from next month.

In a statement, Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun said the border shutdown would have a negative impact on efforts to improve inter-Korean relations.

He said the South Korean government is willing to talk with the North in order to implement previous inter-Korean summit declarations, and urged Pyongyang to return to the dialogue table with Seoul.

Kim said he does not think the move is a complete border shutdown because the North uses the term "restriction" and gives a grace period lasting until December first.

He added there have been no further related actions by the North, noting that South Korean tourists and groups have continued to cross the border as planned.