(CNN) -- The last South Korean employees left Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea Tuesday morning as the struggle over the scenic mountain facility continued. Fourteen South Koreans and two Chinese workers left after 11 a.m. Tuesday, South Korea's Unification Ministry said. The ministry said it had no idea when the workers might return. The move came a day after North Korea announced it would seize all assets in the area. The joint project at Mount Kumgang was started in 1998 to boost reconciliation between the two Koreas and to give North Korea a chance to earn money. But Seoul suspended South Korean tours to the facility after the 2008 shooting of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier when the woman allegedly walked into an off-limits area.
@highlight
Fourteen South Koreans and two Chinese workers leave Tuesday morning
@highlight
The departure comes a day after North Korea announced it would seize all assets in the area
@highlight
The resort was established to boost reconciliation between the Koreas
The Unification Ministry issued a statement saying, "We cannot accept North Korea's unilateral announcement of freezing South Korean assets in @placeholder.