North Korea has reiterated that the two Koreas should not be wary of what others think when implementing inter-Korean projects.

This comes as the Seoul government withheld its decision in response to a request from a group of South Korean business people seeking to visit the Gaeseong Industrial Complex in North Korea to inspect their facilities.

The North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper said Saturday that cross-border projects should be carried out independently with the priority placed on Korean people's demands and interests and not those of foreign countries.

The paper said that the so-called "coordination on North Korean policies" insisted on by other countries is intended to hinder Seoul from improving inter-Korean relations.

It said that no foreign power should interfere in cross-border projects and that joining hands with foreign powers is an obstacle to peace, prosperity and Korean unification.