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Visitors tour the South Korean-owned golf course at the Mount Kumgang resort, also known as Diamond Mountain, in North Korea on Sept. 1, 2011
Visitors tour the South Korean-owned golf course at the Mount Kumgang resort, also known as Diamond Mountain, in North Korea on Sept. 1, 2011Ng Han Guan/AP Photo
  • The tourist resort of Mount Kumgang was once a symbol of hope for peace.

  • Satellite images show that buildings were destroyed last weekend.

  • South Korea owned many of the buildings that were destroyed.

According to The Times, North Korea demolished a golf resort that was built for South Koreans and once symbolized hope for peace and cooperation between the two countries.

The Mount Kumgang - Diamond Mountain tourist resort, built by South Korean companies, was partially destroyed last weekend.

According to local media, the floating hotel in Mount Kumgang was dismantled last month.

Visitors enjoy the manicured lawn at the South Korean-owned golf course at the Mount Kumgang resort, also known as Diamond Mountain, in North Korea on Sept. 1, 2011.
Visitors enjoy the manicured lawn at the South Korean-owned golf course at the Mount Kumgang resort, also known as Diamond Mountain, in North Korea on Sept. 1, 2011.Ng Han Guan, AP Photo

South Korean government officials tried to use an intergovernmental hotline to demand an explanation for the destruction of tourist businesses in the mountainous region. They tried to get a response.

Cha Deok-cheol, a spokesman for South Korea's unification ministry, told The Times that North Korea's act of dismantling the hotel goes against the purpose of joint inter-Korean efforts.

In this Saturday Oct. 8, 2011 photo, a North Korean man records video of the scenery as he and fellow hikers climb to a peak of Mount Kumgang, North Korea.
In this Saturday Oct. 8, 2011 photo, a North Korean man records video of the scenery as he and fellow hikers climb to a peak of Mount Kumgang, North Korea.David Guttenfelder/AP Photo

The Mount Kumgang Tourist Region was established in 2002 to welcome South Korean tourists.

It was a hallmark of South Korea's "Sunshine Policy" of engagement with North Korea, a foreign policy framework that attempted to bolster cooperation between the two nations via economic interaction.

Map of Mount Kumgang Tourist Region in North Korea.
Map of Mount Kumgang Tourist Region in North Korea.Insider/Google Maps

South Koreans used to frequent the resort and contribute foreign currency to the North Korean economy. A tourist was killed by a North Korean soldier in 2008.

The South Korean government suspended tours to the resort after a woman was killed walking into an off-limits area. The suspension lasted until the end of the year.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the Mount Kumgang tourist resort, North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspects the Mount Kumgang tourist resort, North Korea on October 23, 2019.REUTERS

The tourist region of North Korea was described as "hotchpotch" and "shabby" by the leader of the country. According to the media outlet, he called for facilities to be rebuilt to meet North Korea's aesthetic taste.

The original article is on Business Insider.

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