Unification Minister Lee In-young said Friday that he will actively seek ways to resume tours to Mount Geumgang in North Korea.

He made this remark while visiting Jejin Station in Goseong, Gangwon Province, which is the northernmost station on the Donghae rail line.

The minister said the resumption of tours will send a clear message of peace on the Korean Peninsula and help revive local economies in the border region.

The remarks underline his resolve to push for individual tours to the scenic mountain as a way to restart dialogue with North Korea.

Lee also laid out plans to reconnect inter-Korean railways and roads in a bid to create a new economic order on the peninsula.

During his recent confirmation hearing, Lee mentioned individual tours as a "creative solution" to the Mount Geumgang issue and vowed to draft related guidelines involving local governments, social organizations and travel agencies.

In the hearing, he also floated the idea of separated family members visiting the North and connecting tourism in both South and North Korea for foreign tourists.

[Photo : YONHAP News]