Delegates from South and North Korea have ended talks on resuming South Korean tours to the North's Geumgang Mountain and border city of Gaeseong.

During two rounds of talks held at Gaeseong on Monday, South and North Korea presented their basic positions on resuming tours to the North Korean mountain resort.

Trips to the scenic mountain were halted after a South Korean tourist was shot dead in July 2008.

The Unification Ministry in Seoul said the South Korean delegation demanded the North explain the shooting death, promise to prevent a recurrence and guarantee internationally acceptable levels of tourist safety.

But the North reportedly called for a swift resumption of the tours --- tours to Gaeseong in March and tours to Mount Geumgang in April, saying that the three demands by the South delegation have already been resolved.

It is the first official inter-Korean meeting to discuss the tours since the programs were halted altogether a year and seven months ago.

The Unification Ministry said it will discuss a possible follow-up meeting with the North through liaison officers at the truce village of Panmunjeom. The South Korean delegates returned to the South at 5 p.m.