SEOUL– Tours to the truce village of Panmunjom have been suspended again due to coronavirus concerns, the unification ministry said Friday, shortly after health authorities here decided to impose the toughest virus curbs in the greater Seoul area.
The ministry made the announcement to suspend the program starting Friday after South Korea saw the highest-ever daily COVID-19 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. Authorities raised virus curbs to Level 4 in Seoul and the neighboring Gyeonggi Province and Incheon on Monday for two weeks.
“Our ministry has temporarily suspended the Panmunjom tours starting from July 9 in accordance with the Level 4 rules in the greater Seoul area,” the ministry said.
“The measure was taken considering the safety of the people as the top priority and in close consultation with the relevant authorities,” it added.
The ministry said it will resume the tours when the COVID-19 restrictions ease.
Tours to Panmunjom were temporarily suspended earlier this week after two members of the United Nations Command came into contact with a coronavirus patient. The UNC had said that it will resume the tours once it is certain that there is no additional risk.
The tours had resumed in April after a monthslong suspension due to the COVID-19 situation in line with eased social distancing guidelines.
Source: Yonhap News Agency