No N. Koreans visited S. Korea last year amid chilly inter-Korean relations: data

SEOUL, April 20 (Yonhap) -- No North Koreans traveled to South Korea last year amid chilly inter-Korean relations, government data showed Monday.

In contrast, a total of 809 North Koreans visited South Korea a year earlier, according to the data provided by the unification ministry.

Cross-border relations have remained chilled, as Pyongyang remains unresponsive to Seoul's offers for exchange and cooperation amid a stalemate in denuclearization talks with Pyongyang.

The data showed that the number of South Koreans visiting the North last year, apart from trips to a liaison office, also dropped significantly over the same period.

Last year, 9,835 South Koreans visited the North, but the figure drops to 576 if those stationed at the joint liaison office in the North's border town of Kaesong are excluded, compared with the corresponding figure of 4,612 tallied a year earlier, according to the data.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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