The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has suspended its plan to remove Seoul-built facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort on its east coast, Yonhap reported.

The unification ministry of the Republic of Korea (ROK) said Pyongyang notified Seoul of the suspension through a telephone line on Thursday.

Earlier, the two sides also agreed to temporarily shut down their joint liaison office in the border town of Kaesong on the DPRK side.

In October, the DPRK asked Seoul to tear down all "unpleasant-looking" facilities it had built at the mountain resort as part of a now-suspended joint tourism project, saying the country will build a new international tourist destination of its own.

The two sides have remained far apart over the issue, with Seoul insisting on having face-to-face talks first to discuss the matter.

Launched in 1998, the Mount Kumgang tour project was regarded as a key symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation and economic cooperation until it was suspended in 2008 after a ROK tourist was shot dead near the resort for allegedly trespassing in an off-limits area.

(Cover: In this file photo taken on September 1, 2011, the ROK-invested villas line the coastline of the Mount Kumgang resort in the DPRK. /AP Photo)