SEOUL, South Korea — President Moon Jae-in of South Korea on Tuesday called for economic exchanges with North Korea, including allowing visits there by South Korean tourists, to help ease tensions and encourage the North to resume talks with the United States.

North Korea has already said that it would welcome tourists from the South as the heavily sanctioned country seeks new ways to earn hard currency. Tourism is one of the few North Korean industries not covered by sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council and Washington to squeeze the North’s ability to earn foreign currency.

North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, recently declared that his country no longer expected​ a breakthrough in deadlocked negotiations ​with Washington ​over how to denuclearize ​the ​North ​nor the lifting of American-led United Nations sanctions​. He said his country would​ instead​ rebuild its economy without the help of relief from the sanctions that were imposed over the North’s weapons programs.

To increase tourism, North Korea has recently opened seafront resorts or ski and spa complexes, all built in part to attract tourist cash from abroad, mainly China.