SEOUL -- South and North Korea on Friday opened their heavily-fortified border for the first time in five decades to allow hundreds of civilians to travel overland to the North.

The group of 498 South Koreans was seen off by hundreds of people ahead of their historic trip to North Korea's Mount Kumgang via the eastern seaside border, Seoul's cable television news YTN showed.

Fireworks exploded and balloons were released when a convoy of more than 20 buses carrying the tourists rolled into North Korea with nearby hills and fields still under cover of snow.

The crossing of the temporary road, formerly strewn with landmines, meant the first opening of the inter-Korean transport links for civilians since the 1950-53 Korean War.

"We hope this road will be one to peace, reconciliation and prosperity," Vice Unification Minister Kim Hyung-ki said at a ceremony in the town of Kosung, 200 kilometers (120 miles) east of Seoul.

Observers expected the opening of the temporary road to help boost the sagging inter-Korean tour business as it will be cheaper and more convenient than the current ferry service to Mount Kumgang.

After a watershed summit between their leaders in 2000, both Koreas began working to reopen all major inter-Korean transport links which had been cut by the conflict.

The two sides have agreed to rebuild two sets of railway and road links through their border. Troops from both sides already removed landmines from the transport corridors late last year. The Koreas should have opened one of the cross-border railways by the end of last year under a previous accord, but work was behind schedule. (AFP)