South Korea’s vice unification minister says the North Korean nuclear issue is unrelated to the resumption of tours to North Korea’s Mount Geumgang.

Hong Yang-ho told reporters Tuesday that Geumgang tours have been held since 1998 and that linking the tours to the North’s nuclear ambitions would discourage the two Koreas from conducting any inter-Korean projects.

Hong said the South Korean government is willing to resume tours to the North Korean resort if North Korean authorities accept Seoul’s preconditions, including Pyongyang’s official apology for the killing of a South Korean tourist at the site, a guarantee for the safety of South Korean tourists and a promise to prevent any recurrence of similar incidents.

South Korea suspended the tour program to the North's Mount Geumgang after a South Korean female tourist was shot dead by a North Korean military guard at the resort on July eleventh last year.

Meanwhile, regarding the North’s requests for aid, Hong said Seoul has no plan to provide rice or fertilizer aid to North Korea to compensate the North for agreeing to hold this week’s inter-Korean family reunions.

The North suggested Saturday that the South offer some sort of compensation following Pyongyang’s decision to host the reunions.