Although the president reiterated his firm stance on North Korea, South Korean Unification Minister Hyun In Taek met with North Korean unity leader Kim Yang Gon on Saturday.
Pyongyang has already banned South Koreans from entering, but Kim Yang-Gon, secretary of the party's Central Committee, said Pyongyang would now "temporarily suspend the operations in the zone and examine the issue of whether it will allow its existence or close it".