South and North Korea plan to jointly treat pine trees damaged by bugs at a mountain on North Korea's east coast early next week, the Unification Ministry said Friday.
  

The two Koreas plan to conduct pest control on pine trees at Mount Kumgang from Monday to Wednesday as some trees there have withered and turned yellow, the ministry said.
  

For this project, Seoul will deliver relevant treatment including insecticide and sprayers worth 130 million won ($109,900) to the North.
  

A group of South Korean forestry experts visited the mountain in late July to look into the cause of the diseased pine trees at the mountain.
  

Sitting on the east coast near the heavily fortified inter-Korean border, Mount Kumgang is famous for its scenic views, impressive peaks and thick pine tree forests.
  

The ministry earlier said that two types of diseases caused by insects were found in the pine trees, adding that it would be appropriate to conduct an extermination treatment on such trees in spring and autumn.
  

South Korean company Hyundai Asan kicked off a cross-border tour program at Mount Kumgang in 1998, a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation.
 
 
But Seoul suspended the tour program in 2008, after the fatal shooting of a South Korean female tourist by a North Korean soldier at the resort.
  

The ministry said that Mount Kumgang is an asset that the two Koreas need to protect together, but Seoul's recent probe into the ailing trees has nothing to do with the possible resumption of the joint tour program. (Yonhap)