Hyundai Asan, the South Korean operator of tour programs to North Korea’s tourist attractions, has closed most of its operations at the North's Mount Geumgang resort.

The firm said Thursday that it shut down four teams in charge of sales and hotel management at the resort, leaving just two teams for repair and maintenance.

A company official said that most of the sales staff has returned to the South, while those in charge of maintaining the resort facilities remain. The official called the move "inevitable" for survival.

Hyundai's tour program at the resort has been suspended due to strained inter-Korean relations after a South Korean tourist was shot and killed by a North Korean soldier at the resort in July last year.