The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has approved a visit by South Korean businessmen to a mountain resort despite a longstanding dispute over the joint project, reports said Tuesday.

Some 10 officials from Hyundai Asan, the operator of suspended tours to Mount Kumgang, will visit the resort Friday to mark the 9th anniversary of the death of late Hyundai Group chairman Chung Mong-hun.

Chung, credited with promoting business ties between the two Koreas, committed suicide in 2003 after he was accused of sending money to Pyongyang before the historic 2000 summit between the estranged Koreas.

Chung, the fifth son of the conglomerate's founder Chung Ju- yung, faced charges that he manipulated company documents to hide the controversial transfer of some 500 million U.S. dollars.

The DPRK sent condolences to Chung's family over his unexpected death and briefly suspended the tours as a gesture of mourning.

Hyun Jeong-eun, the current Hyundai Group chairwoman and Chung' s widow, is reportedly not planning to attend the memorial service that has been held each year on the scenic mountain.

The one-day trip by Hyundai Asan officials, the first such trip since DPRK leader Kim Jong Un came to power, will involve a checkup on facilities at the resort.

The once-lucrative tours, launched in 1998 amid a growing rapprochement, were suspended in 2008 after a South Korean tourist was shot dead for venturing into a restricted military zone.

Seoul has since refused to reopen the tours without an investigation into the incident and proper safety guarantees.

Pyongyang, claiming it has done enough, unilaterally seized South Korean assets there, expelled South Koreans in the area and terminated its deal with Hyundai Asan despite strong protest from the company.

The measures were seen as Pyongyang's response to Seoul's reluctance to resume the suspended tours, once a rare source of hard currency for the cash-strapped country.

Working-level talks in 2010 over resuming the cross-border tours showed little progress, and inter-Korean relations have deteriorated since two deadly sea border incidents suspended almost all exchanges between the neighbors.