SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- The stalled tour to the North Korean resort of Mount Kumgang has incurred losses of 1.7 trillion won (US$1.55 billion) to South Korean companies and the government for the past four years, a private think tank said Thursday.

The tour program was suspended in July 2008 after a female South Korean tourist was shot dead in the resort and the South demanded a formal apology for the shooting incident.