Koo Byoung-sam, spokesman of the Ministry of Unification, speaks during a press briefing in Seoul, Dec. 2. Yonhap

North Korea has been demolishing a golf course clubhouse built by a South Korean firm at the Mount Kumgang resort, leaving only a few facilities intact in the area, South Korea's unification ministry said Monday.

"Most facilities at the special Mount Kumgang tourist region have been dismantled or are being demolished, with demolition believed to be under way at the clubhouse of the Ananti Golf Resort," ministry spokesman Koo Byoung-sam said during a press briefing.

"Only a few facilities, including a meeting place for separated families, are believed to remain undemolished," he said.

It marks the latest in a series of demolitions by North Korea at the Mount Kumgang tourist area, which, established in 2002 to host South Korean tourists to the scenic mountain on the North's east coast, was once considered a symbol of inter-Korean reconciliation.

Since North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered officials to tear down all "unpleasant-looking" facilities built by the South during his 2019 visit to the mountain resort, North Korea has been dismantling facilities in the area one by one. Kim's visit came shortly after his summit with then U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi ended without a concrete result earlier that year.

In May, North Korea demolished a fire station in the resort area, which was built with the South Korean government's budget.

"The government will firmly hold North Korea accountable for an act that violates the property rights of our government and companies, no matter how long it takes," the ministry spokesman said.

Referring to Russia's recent invitation of North Korean forces to its military parade marking the 80th Victory Day in May next year, Koo said the North Korean military has never participated in Russia's previous Victory Day celebrations.

According to Russia's defense ministry, Defense Minister Andrei Belousov invited North Korean military forces to the 80th anniversary military parade scheduled to take place on May 9, 2025, in Red Square, Moscow, during his meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last week.

North Korea's only participation in such an event occurred in 2015, when Kim Yong-nam attended the 70th anniversary military parade as the president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, according to the unification ministry. (Yonhap)