N. Korea says will suspend plan to remove Mt. Kumgang facilities due to coronavirus fear

SEOUL, Jan. 31 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has suspended its plan to remove South Korean-built facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort on its east coast as part of efforts to prevent the spread of a new strain of coronavirus, the unification ministry said Friday.

Pyongyang notified Seoul of the decision through a telephone line they opened Thursday after the two Koreas agreed to temporarily shut down their joint liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong earlier in the day until the threat from the virus is "completely eased."

The North has demanded the South tear down all "unpleasant-looking" facilities it had built at the mountain resort as part of a joint tourism project, saying the country will build a new international tourist destination of its own. It has also threatened to destroy them unilaterally unless Seoul takes action.
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