The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) prefers the exchange of letters to discuss issues on the DPRK's scenic resort of Mount Kumgang, the unification ministry of the Republic of Korea (ROK) said Tuesday.

The DPRK sent notices to the unification ministry and Hyundai Asian Corp., which participated in the inter-Korean tour project, in response to Seoul's Monday offer to hold working-level talks about the Mount Kumgang project.

With the notices, the DPRK rejected the dialogue proposal, insisting on the exchange of letters.

The unification ministry said in a statement that the government will draw up ways to deal with the issue in close cooperation with relevant businesses under the principle that all inter-Korean affairs should be resolved via dialogues and consultations.

Earlier Tuesday, ROK's unification ministry said that it would discuss the safety guarantee of ROK tourists if Pyongyang accepts Seoul's dialogue offer. 

Seoul offered Monday to hold working-level talks with Pyongyang to discuss issues on the suspended tour by ROK people to the DPRK's mountain resort.

ROK people's tour to Mount Kumgang, launched in 1998, has been suspended since a ROK female tourist was shot dead in 2008 by a DPRK soldier after allegedly venturing into off-limit areas.

Reopening the site to new ROK tours has been touted by ROK President Moon Jae-in as a way to improve relations between the two Koreas, whose 1950-53 war ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

The DPRK's official newspaper Rodong Sinmun reported last week that top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un said he would welcome the ROK compatriots at any time if they want to come to Mount Kumgang.

Kim said last week he wanted the "shabby" and "capitalist" facilities at Mount Kumgang resort removed and rebuilt. He ordered the removal of ROK-built facilities in Mount Kumgang in an agreement with the relevant unit of the ROK side. 
Mount Kumgang, located on the DPRK's eastern shore just beyond the heavily fortified border separating the two Koreas, is one of two major inter-Korean economic initiatives, along with the Kaesong factory park.

Meanwhile, Choe Ryong Hae, president of DPRK's Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, urged the U.S. to drop its hostile policy toward Pyongyang before seeking denuclearization talks.

"A year has passed since the adoption of the June 12 DPRK-U.S. Joint Statement. But the DPRK-U.S. relations see no improvement, and the situation on the Korean Peninsula is still caught up in the vicious cycle of escalated tension. This is ascribable to the U.S. pursuit of its anachronistic policy hostile to the DPRK and its continued political and military provocations," he said in a speech at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit held in Azerbaijan, reported KCNA on Tuesday.

"The reason why the North-South relations do not move forward (...) despite the historic declarations adopted by the two Koreas last year is entirely because of the South Korean (ROK) authorities' dependence on outsiders and toadyism," Choe said.

"The North-South relations can be improved only when the South Korean (ROK) authorities drop its policy of dependence on outsiders which undermine common profits of Korean people and fully exercise its responsibility in front of the Korean people." 

(With input from Xinhua and Reuters)