The South Korean (Republic of Korea) constitution considers North Korea (
Democratic People's Republic of Korea) as part of its territory, although under a different administration. In other words, the South does not view going to and from the North as breaking the continuity of a person's stay, as long as the traveler does not land on third country, i.e. non-Korean, territory. However, because of the political situation between the South and the isolated
socialist Juche government of
North Korea, it is almost impossible to enter the North from the South across the
Korean DMZ (exiting South Korea via the
northern border). Tourists wishing to enter North Korea have to pass through another country, and most enter from
China, because most flights to/from
Pyongyang serve
Beijing. South Koreans are generally not allowed to visit
North Korea, except with special authorizations granted by the
Ministry of Unification and North Korean authorities on a limited basis (e.g. workers and businessmen visiting or commuting to/from
Kaesong Industrial Complex). South Koreans who are allowed to visit North Korea are issued a
North Korean visa on a separate sheet of paper, not in the South Korean passport. The Republic of Korea passport can be used to enter North Korea, because passport is one of the government's approved identity documents, but it is being only to prove the bearer's identity, not to determine the bearer's legal residence. South Koreans can also use other government approved identity documents such as
National ID Card and
Driver's License, because the South Korean government treats North Korea as part of South Korea and expects South Korean IDs to be accepted. In 1998, visa-free travel to the tourist resort of
Mount Kumgang and the
Kaesong Industrial Region was made possible under the "
sunshine policy" orchestrated by South Korean President
Kim Dae-jung. Those wishing to travel across the DMZ were given special travel certificates issued by the
Ministry of Unification through
Hyundai Asan. In July 2008, a female tourist named Park Wang-ja was shot to death by a North Korean guard on a beach near
Mount Kumgang, which led to the suspension of the tours. As of March 2010 all travel across the
DMZ has now been suspended due to increasing tensions between North and South Korea. However, in 2018,
Kim Jong-un and others went to South Korea through the DMZ and met up with South Korean officials. They discussed reunification. There are four land
border checkpoints in South Korea for inter-Korea travel. ==Restricted nations==