Tours to the Joint Security Area along the inter-Korean border are expected to resume soon.
The U.S.-led United Nations Command said on Monday that it authorized the resumption of a civilian tour program to the border village of Panmunjom.
The reopening date will be announced soon.
Visits to the JSA have been suspended since September of last year due to concerns over the spread of African swine fever as well as the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Since then, South Korea has reported a total of 745 cases of the swine disease, most of them near border areas, such as Hwacheon, Yeoncheon and Paju, according to the environment ministry.
As part of ASF containment efforts, the government stopped civilian tours on October 1, and it continued to maintain the suspension this year due to COVID-19.
<Photo: Yonhap News>
