North Korean media over the weekend criticized the South for "begging" Washington for U.S. "approval" on matters concerning inter-Korean tourism, referring to the recent U.S.-ROK working group talks and a Blue House official's visit to the U.S.

In what appears to be North Korean media's first-ever reaction on the Moon administration's push for "independent tourism" this year, DPRK Today, an externally-focused media outlet, slammed Seoul for "mooching off the foreign power" when inter-Korean problems should be solved between the two Koreas.