SEOUL - Republic of Korea (ROK) said on Monday it would ban its nationals from visiting the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), except a joint inter-Korean industrial complex located in the country's border city of Kaesong.

Seoul's Ministry of Unification in charge of inter-Korean affairs said the move comes with an aim to ensure personal security of its nationals.

At a press briefing held hours after Pyongyang announced its leader Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack on Saturday, the ministry spokesman Choi Boh-seon said ROK will " temporarily put on hold trips" to the DPRK, with the exception of the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

Choi added that the humanitarian aid for the DPRK would be suspended, and a conference slated to be held in Kaesong on Tuesday was also put off.  

As for whether the Seoul government will express condolences on Kim's passing away, Choi said that government agencies are still discussing the issue and no decision has yet been made.

According to the ministry, there are 717 ROK's nationals in the DPRK as of late Monday, including 707 at the Kaesong Industrial Complex.

The joint industrial complex, opened in 2003, stands as the last-remaining symbol of reconciliation between the two Koreas.

Some 47,000 DPRK workers are currently working for 123 ROK's companies that capitalize on cheap labor to produce labor- intensive goods.